The Story of TJ and Cyrus
by lgbtfiction-writer
Summary: The story starts in the series finale of Andi Mack, painting the events as the beginning of a story rather than the end of one. Tyrus lives on through this story, as they navigate the ins and outs of their relationship, how it impacts their lives, and how it impacts their friends.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note****: **_**This is a story for those Andi Mack fans, like me, who are not ready to let go of Tyrus yet. It is for the people who want to see the follow through and their relationship. I have a plan to keep Tyrus alive for some more time. This chapter is intended to paint the events of the finale as the beginning of the story rather than the end of one. This story is focused on the relationship between TJ and Cyrus, but does not treat that relationship as if it existed in a vacuum. I will try to upload a new chapter every week, but I have a lot going on this fall, so I can't make any promises.**__**I'm going to aim to have a new chapter out every Monday. At the end of each chapter, I will inform you if I plan to write another. This is intended for Andi Mack fans of ALL ages. Enjoy!**_

**Disclaimer****: **_**This chapter goes into more detail of the events of the party between Cyrus and TJ. I do not take credit for these events occurring, only my additional commentary on them.**__**I also do not take credit for most of the dialogue in this chapter, which is mainly intended to paint a literary picture of the events in the series finale. For this and future chapters, I do not own anything recognizable. Due credit is given to Disney for everything that is not entirely original.**_

**Chapter 1**

Eighth grade had been quite the emotional roller coaster for Cyrus, and after a beautiful dance to celebrate Bex and Bowie's wedding, tonight was no exception. He was incredibly happy for Andi and her parents, but questioned whether he would ever get to have what they had. He had struggled to reconcile what his sexual orientation would mean for his future romantic life.

As he wandered around at the party, he saw Buffy staring over at Marty. Cyrus walked up to Buffy, surprising her as she was so focused on the scene that was happening in front of her. Cyrus looked over in the direction that Buffy was looking, and he gave a bit of a smirk.

"I see," Buffy acknowledged the scene with frustration.

Wanting to help his friend, Cyrus turned to Buffy and started talking. "Things still weird between you two?" he asked.

"I don't know what they are," Buffy answered with a sudden shift in tone from frustrated wit to pure hopeless desire.

"What do you want them to be?" Cyrus responded, the therapist within him coming out.

"I don't know that either." Buffy did know, though. She liked Marty. Plain and simple. She wanted to date him. She knew that for a fact, and so did Cyrus.

"Do you have any information that might be useful for a conversation?" Cyrus asked, trying to push Buffy in the direction she wanted to go.

"He doesn't like me anymore," complained Buffy. "I mean he likes me," she clarifies, "he just doesn't _like _me."

At this point, Cyrus knew the pain that Buffy was feeling. He wanted her to be okay. He also didn't believe that Buffy was actually right about Marty not liking her. Coming to Buffy's aid, Cyrus dismissed her claim. "I'm sure that's not true," Cyrus said with what seemed an attempting-to-be-reassuring chuckle. "What makes you think that?" he asked, genuinely confused.

"He told me," Buffy replied depressingly smugly.

The two of them once again looked over at Marty having a good time and dancing. Cyrus changed his tone to one of a more upbeat and energetic nature. "I still don't think it's true," he said with a confident smugness, seemingly trying to out-smug Buffy's previous declaration. Buffy smiled at her friend trying to reassure her.

She looked back over and could no longer see Marty. Instead, she saw TJ. She smiled at Cyrus and tapped him to look over.

"I see," said Cyrus, eerily similar to the way Buffy said it earlier. Cyrus had just gotten TJ off his mind by helping Buffy, and there he was again.

Buffy knew that Cyrus had a crush on TJ. The way that he acted towards TJ was similar to the way he acted when he had a crush on Jonah. Cyrus was aware that Buffy knew about his crush, even though he never directly told her about it. He knew that it was pretty obvious to anyone who was paying attention. Besides, Buffy and Cyrus always had a special connection as friends and they could pretty much read each other's minds at this point.

"TJ!" Buffy yelled out to him. That's about the last thing Cyrus wanted her to do. He was so embarrassed. He was even more embarrassed when TJ gave a comically large wave over to them with that big cheesy grin that Cyrus adored so much. Cyrus waved back with an embarrassed smile.

The very next moment, Kira showed up next to TJ. Cyrus's smile disappeared. "Kira," Cyrus muttered under his breath with an uncharacteristically distasteful tone.

Buffy was upset that her friend was hurting. "You know why he's hanging out with her, don't you?" She believed that TJ liked Cyrus. It was obvious to her in a way that she thought it should be obvious to anyone. But she wanted Cyrus to figure that out on his own. She didn't want to force her assumptions onto a situation in which she wasn't directly involved. She believed TJ was hanging out with Kira to make Cyrus jealous. While that wasn't entirely the case, it wasn't super far off base. Cyrus, however, didn't have a clue.

"No, do you?" he asked, puzzled.

"It's not because he likes her," Buffy tried to say reassuringly, with some frustration showing that Cyrus hadn't figured it out. She just wanted him to be happy and not hurting for once.

Cyrus still didn't believe that. "You keep saying that, and yet…" They both looked back over just in time to see TJ putting his arm around Kira.

At this point, Buffy recognized that what Cyrus needed was not a wake-up call, but comfort from a friend. "I'm sorry," she said as she put her arm around Cyrus, trying to make him feel a little better.

Cyrus held back tears. "I was probably deluding myself anyway," he said hopelessly.

Buffy felt so much empathy for Cyrus, and wished that he didn't have to hurt. She gave Cyrus a smile of empathy. They stood there for a minute until Cyrus could get himself together and start having fun again.

"Should we dance?" Buffy asked Cyrus, hoping to relieve a bit of his emotional turmoil.

"Sure," replied Cyrus.

They started dancing, and Cyrus just let everything go and began having fun. TJ wasn't totally off his mind, but at least he could look past it for the moment.

From another point in the room, TJ and Kira watched Cyrus flailing his arms around like a crazy person.

"Why don't you wanna dance?" Kira asked TJ with a big smile on her face.

"I just don't," TJ replied, "But you can go ahead!" He was preoccupied with watching Cyrus.

Kira started laughing out of nowhere. TJ frowned. "What's so funny?"

"Look at Cyrus!" Kira exclaimed, still laughing, as though she thought the answer should be obvious. "That's hilarious!"

TJ couldn't help but to smile when he looked over at Cyrus, but his smile faded when he got frustrated with Kira. "You can't do that," he said.

"I can't do what?" Kira asked innocently.

"Laugh at someone for the way they dance," TJ started to get angry.

"You did it too," Kira pointed out.

"No, I didn't," TJ clarified.

"I saw the way you were smiling," Kira said accusingly. "You thought it was funny."

"I thought it was fun!" TJ was definitely mad at Kira at this point. What he really wanted to say was that he thought it was cute, but he knew that he had to tread carefully when he was dealing with someone like Kira. "You know there's a difference, right?" TJ didn't like this side of himself. Unfortunately, Kira just brought it right back out. He was mad and couldn't believe how mean Kira was being.

"Why don't you admit what this is really about?" Kira said even more accusingly.

"What do you mean?" TJ asked. But he knew what she meant. He knew that she thought he had a crush on Cyrus. And she was right. He just didn't want it getting around. He realized then that he was forced into hanging out with Kira because he didn't know what she would do out of pure jealousy.

"If I made you pick," Kira replied, still being vague. Her vagueness had worked so far in manipulating TJ to be her friend, so she figured she'd take one last shot. "Me or Cyrus?" She looked over at Cyrus. "You'd pick Cyrus," she said disappointedly.

Now TJ was furious. He looked over at Cyrus and then back at Kira with a glare. "Why do you do that?" he asked furiously.

She gave him a blank stare.

"Make me pick?" he clarified.

Kira looked upset at the remark, but TJ didn't care. Instead, he looked over in admiration at Cyrus dancing with Andi.

"Cyrus never made me pick," he said, suddenly becoming mellower.

"I guess that answers my question," said Kira with a look of disappointment. TJ just stared at her wondering what motive she could possibly have for being so manipulative and mean. "I'll see you around." With that, Kira walked away and left the party, leaving TJ alone.

TJ looked over at Cyrus and smiled. His smile faded when he realized the spot he was in. A friend just tried to make him choose between her and another friend, his crush. And TJ was afraid to tell Cyrus about his crush. He didn't know if Cyrus was in that place. His look of admiration towards Cyrus became a look of longing.

A little while later, after their fun spontaneous musical number in the middle of the party, TJ once again felt that longing for Cyrus. They had just sang to each other! He wandered outside hoping to find a spot to sit down and reflect. He talked to a couple of people before he could sit down on the bench in the back and isolate himself.

When he finally sat down, Cyrus appeared right out of nowhere, as he had been looking for TJ to talk to him because they hadn't really gotten to talk much the whole party.

"Can I sit?" Cyrus asked hesitantly.

"Sure," Replied TJ. Cyrus followed and sat down next to TJ.

"What happened to Kira?" asked Cyrus as he had noticed that TJ was suddenly quite a bit more isolated at the party.

"I poured water on her and she melted." TJ didn't mean to be mean at this point; he was just angry. He was, however, proud of that burn.

Cyrus nodded, surprised at TJ's witty remark. "I actually buy that," he said, about to chuckle.

"She is not a nice person," TJ said with a grim laugh.

Cyrus, despite not liking Kira, didn't want to condemn her too much. "You know people used to say that about you?" he said as a reminder to TJ about a past of which he was not very proud.

"Well," TJ said calmly, "sometimes there's a nice person on the inside trying to get out." He was glad that he had made it to the point where the good person in him did come out.

Cyrus nodded. It was clear that both boys were tired and had endured a lot of emotional stress that day. "I know that now," he told TJ reassuringly.

"But," Cyrus said, seeing if he could push a little further, "still a lot of things I don't know."

"Like what?" TJ asked curiously.

"Like that you play piano," Cyrus mentioned, pointing to the earlier-occurring outburst of song.

"My mom's a piano teacher," said TJ.

Cyrus shrugged, "Didn't know that either."

"I'm not mysterious," TJ laughed, "ask me anything."

Cyrus took this opportunity – because he's Cyrus – to think of the perfect question to see if he could push TJ out of his comfort zone a little bit. "Ok," he said with an extremely smug smile once he figured out what he wanted to ask, "What does TJ stand for?" He looked directly at TJ, anticipating the answer.

"Except that!" TJ said with conviction. He thought there was no way he would ever have a chance with Cyrus if Cyrus knew his real name.

Cyrus was quick to the punch and exclaimed with hilarity, "You won't tell me your name?"

TJ shook his head.

"And you think _that's _not mysterious?" proclaimed Cyrus with an intrigued smile.

"Ok, there's like five people in the world who know it," TJ explained, trying to back himself out of the situation, "and they're all named Kippen."

"You should know, if you don't tell me," Cyrus started with a somewhat reassuring tone, shifting to one of hilarity, "I will be the first person ever to _literally_ die of curiosity!"

"I don't know, I-" TJ sighed. He was afraid, but he knew Cyrus wanted to know. He also knew that he wanted to be open with Cyrus. He wanted to take the risk, so he changed course and looked dead straight into Cyrus's eyes. "If I tell you," he conditioned, "you can _never_ use it." He had to put the emphasis on the word "never" just to make sure it was perfectly clear to Cyrus.

"I won't," promised Cyrus.

"Or tell anyone else," TJ continued.

"I promise," said Cyrus excitedly, just wanting to know why TJ was concealing his name.

"Like, Cyrus, you gotta swear-" TJ needed to make it absolutely clear, but was cut off.

"I do! I do! I swear!" replied Cyrus hastily, wanting to get to the answer. To reassure TJ, he changed his tone to one that was more serious and said, "I swear."

They looked at each other, and TJ was convinced that he could trust Cyrus with the information. TJ shook his head and proceeded.

"Alright," he said with a demeanor that Cyrus read as _I can't believe I'm about to do this. _"My parents are way into music," he began to explain. "And they named me for their favorite artists."

"That's not so strange," Cyrus shook his head trying to reassure TJ.

"TJ stands for…," he paused as Cyrus waited in anticipation, "…Thelonious Jagger."

Cyrus gave TJ a look that TJ was sure was a look of judgement.

"Thelonious Jagger?" Cyrus repeated. "Are you kidding?" he began to laugh.

TJ shook his head and was sure that Cyrus was ridiculing him.

Suddenly, brightened with a smile, Cyrus said "That is a great name! I love that name."

TJ laughed along with Cyrus. "You do?" he asked, surprised.

"Yes!" Cyrus said with what could only be described as an adoring smiling whisper.

TJ was relieved, so he continued the conversation. "Well, my grandparents didn't. And they were like," he started to mimic his grandparents mocking his name, "'that's a ridiculous name! We're calling him TJ!'" He and Cyrus both laughed. "So I've been TJ since I was three days old."

They smiled at each other. Because of his inability to catch himself in the moment, Cyrus's expression once again changed to one of longing. That was it. He couldn't hide it from TJ this time. TJ noticed the expression and immediately caught on.

TJ thought to himself, '_wait a minute, maybe he does like me_.' He pretty much knew at this point, but didn't want to take anything for granted.

TJ's expression also shifted and his demeanor shifted to a calm nervous one. His heart started racing; he knew it was time to make a move. "Is there anything else you want to know?" he asked Cyrus with a lump in his throat.

Cyrus looked down to avoid eye contact. He still thought it was too good to be true. He wanted to ask if TJ was gay and if TJ would ever consider going out with him. Cyrus knew that he couldn't ask that question. If he was wrong, he wouldn't know how to recover from it. But in the moment that Cyrus looked down, he saw something telling. He saw TJ's hand hesitantly inching towards his own. He looked back up to TJ and couldn't hold back a nervous smile. His heart was now racing.

"Is there anything else you want to tell me?" asked Cyrus, continuing the theme of vagueness in the conversation.

"Yeah," TJ exhaled with a nervous smile, similar to the one that Cyrus had just shown. He kept inching his hand closer to Cyrus's. "Is there anything you want to tell _me_?" They were so nervous and tense that they could only whisper to each other. Could this be the moment that both of them had been waiting for so long that neither knew the other also wanted?

"Yes," whispered Cyrus with a big cheesy smile. He and TJ, without saying it directly, had just confessed their feelings for each other. Cyrus was holding back tears again, but this time, they were tears of joy.

TJ gave a big smile, a soft laugh, and then delicately grabbed Cyrus's hand, which Cyrus accepted immediately. With their fingers interlocked, they both smiled at each other and sighed with relief. Both of their hearts were racing, and they sat there feeling that feeling with each other in a moment extraordinarily beautiful to both of them.

They sat for a minute to feel that and feel each other's presence until Cyrus broke the silence, still whispering, "I should probably tell you," TJ looked confused, as if Cyrus was about to say something bad. "I'm gay," said Cyrus gently. After TJ took a second to absorb what Cyrus had just said, they both started laughing and he shoved Cyrus playfully.

Once the laughing died down, TJ asked, "Should we make it official?"

Cyrus waited a moment, and then said "Of course," in a delicate whisper not to break the mood.

Cyrus leaned in and put his head on TJ's shoulder, and TJ put his arm around Cyrus. They just sat there for a while, admiring the stars and taking in the moment. After struggling to come to terms with being gay, both of them knew that this right here is what made all of that turmoil so worth it.

_**Chapter 2 Coming Soon**_


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: I do not own anything recognizable.**

**Chapter 2**

With the excitement from the party now behind them, Andi's announcement that she would be attending Shadyside Academy for the Visual Arts was one of a rather bittersweet nature. Everyone was extremely happy for her, and her parents were especially proud. Buffy, Cyrus, and Jonah were happy and proud, too, but they were disappointed that Andi wouldn't get to attend high school with the rest of them. Jonah was particularly shaken by this emotional news. Could one blame him? Buffy and Cyrus had been friends with Andi for such a long time that they knew they would always be able to stick together no matter what; Jonah had two short years of going to the same school as Andi, and he feared that going to separate schools would mean that they would drift apart. Whether it be as an eventual significant other or a forever friend, Jonah knew that he wanted Andi in his life. They had such a special bond that was unique to those two that it would be awful to have to let that go.

As this news hit hard, the group was able to shake it off in the moment by agreeing that they would hang out the next day at The Spoon. They wouldn't say goodbye; they knew there was no reason to do so. The bittersweet news stuck in the back of all of their minds – more so in Jonah's – but they were able to carry on.

Andi's announcement did, however, influence the flow of conversation that night. Cyrus was excited about his new relationship with TJ. He wanted to announce it right away, but he put that aside to show his support for a long-time friend. Besides, he decided that it would probably be better for TJ to be there for the announcement too, since they were all friends. Also, the realization dawned upon him that he had not actually asked TJ about coming out and being open about their relationship, so it was something he should probably do before telling all of his friends about it.

When Cyrus got home that night, he opened his phone and saw a text from TJ. TJ sent the hand-holding emoji followed by a wink. This made Cyrus blush like crazy. In fact, the thought suddenly dawned upon Cyrus that if these texts made him blush, maybe he blushed in front of TJ that night without even realizing it. That would have been so embarrassing, and the thought of it made Cyrus blush even more.

In an attempt to re-direct the focus of the conversation, Cyrus remembered earlier that night when TJ told Cyrus what TJ stood for. He went online and found songs to send to TJ. He sent the link to Thelonious Monk's "Well You Needn't," and the link to the Rolling Stones' "Wild Horses." He picked the first one to serve as a response to TJ's emojis as if to say 'you needn't be so cheesy.' He then chose the second one because he believed it to be a somewhat romantic track. On the other end of the conversation, this made TJ laugh hysterically, and he also blushed. That still didn't stop him from texting Cyrus:

_I know you're just sending me those as a diversion because your face must be SO red right now._

Needless to say, when Cyrus read that, he blushed even more. It was confirmed that TJ saw him blush earlier, and he was extremely embarrassed. Cyrus sat there and tried to figure out how to respond. Sending an entire jazz album to distract TJ wasn't an option, or at least it wasn't going to be effective.

Before Cyrus could respond, another text appeared from TJ that read:

_Don't worry. I think it's cute._

Cyrus still didn't know what to do. He hadn't seen this side of TJ before. Now, his crush that he just found out felt the same way was calling him cute! He was so embarrassed that he couldn't figure out what to do. Instead, he moved on.

_Hey, umm…_, he texted, _How do you feel about telling our friends?_

_Which ones? _replied TJ.

_Andi, Buffy, and Jonah_.

Cyrus was nervous about telling them, too. He knew that they would be happy for him and that they already accepted that he was gay, but this was his first time actually in a relationship. He wasn't afraid of telling them; he just didn't know what to expect.

_Sure_, TJ responded, _As long as that's it for now_.

_Deal._

Cyrus was excited. That's an understatement. He was ecstatic. Although he was nervous, he couldn't wait to tell his new friends about this recent development.

_Do you want to join us at The Spoon tomorrow? I can ask if it's ok, but you'll probably be welcome._

This was a bit sooner than TJ expected. It made him a little bit nervous that Cyrus wanted to reveal the news the very next day. Then again, he knew that they were all really close friends, and he wasn't very surprised at Cyrus's haste.

_Yeah, as long as it's ok_, TJ replied with some odd combination of hesitancy and excitement.

_Great! I'll ask!_

Cyrus switched to a group chat with Andi, Buffy, and Jonah, and he asked if TJ could be welcome at their lunch the next day. Sure enough, they all said yes. Andi indicated "the more the merrier," and Jonah was his usual agreeable self. Buffy was tempted to send Cyrus a wink emoji, but she remembered her conversation with Cyrus the previous night. It seemed to her that she might have been wrong, and if that was the case, she didn't want to mess with Cyrus's feelings any more than she may have already. Instead, she just sent an agreeable "Sure" in order to avoid making any assumptions.

As TJ waited for Cyrus's confirmation, he listened to the two songs Cyrus sent him, being some of his favorites ever. It's like Cyrus could read his mind. It was a side of TJ that didn't come out very much, but it might have had something to do with the fact that it was a dimension heavily influenced by his parents.

Cyrus passed the message on to TJ, and they both went to bed looking forward to the next day.

At around noon the next day, the group of Andi, Buffy, Cyrus, Jonah, and TJ all met at The Spoon and took a seat at a booth by the window. Since there were five of them and the booth seated four, they had to put an extra chair on the end. On one side was Buffy and Andi; TJ and Cyrus sat directly across from them. Jonah sat on the end.

The group sat and talked for a while about usual stuff that occurred in their day-to-day lives. For quite some time, there was nothing quite out of the ordinary about their conversation. New relationships didn't come up, and neither did Andi's acceptance to SAVA. The most unusual thing talked about was Jonah's recent move and the fact that they were all glad that his family was able to get back on their feet. Jonah was grateful that he had such good friends that stuck by him in such an emotionally demanding time.

Amber came and took their order. "Well," she stated kind of nonchalantly as she approached the table, "the group just gets bigger and bigger."

Everyone knew what she meant. It used to just be the original good hair crew. Then Jonah started hanging out with them regularly, and now, TJ. They had been friends for a while, but they hadn't all been together at a place like The Spoon very often.

Buffy and Cyrus ordered their usual baby taters and chocolate shake.

"I'll take that please," said TJ, curious to mesh more of Cyrus's interests with his own.

They kept talking while they waited, and Amber brought them their food. During the conversation, Cyrus and TJ held hands under the table and exchanged several glances and smiles with each other when they believed no one else was looking.

When they started eating, Cyrus couldn't help but to notice TJ sipping his milkshake through the straw that matched the color of his beautiful green eyes. He couldn't wait any longer to make his announcement.

"Hey, so…" he started. Cyrus captured everyone's attention with the hesitant nature of his words. The problem was that he didn't think through what he wanted to say, and he wasn't exactly sure how to make the announcement. "I have something I want to tell you guys."

"Is everything okay?" asked Andi with a bit of concern as to why her friend hesitated.

"Yeah, everything's fine!" Cyrus reassured her with conviction. He looked over at TJ for some help, as he tried to find the right words.

TJ knew what Cyrus was trying to do, and he tried to think quickly. The truth was, though, TJ just wasn't that great about thinking on his feet when it came to situations like this; it's not like he had been in them very often.

In somewhat of a re-enactment of the events from the previous night, TJ slowly reached for Cyrus's hand under the table. This was it. This is how they would announce their relationship.

When Cyrus felt TJ's hand touch his, he smiled and took ahold of it. Andi and Buffy were pretty quick to catch onto what was happening, but they didn't want to say anything so as not to ruin the moment. They did glance over at each other and smile, but Cyrus and TJ didn't even notice because at that point they were so wrapped up in each other, living the previous night all over again. When they grasped each other's hands, they said no words and simply lifted their hands above the table for everyone to see.

Andi and Buffy smiled at them and sent the mental message that they were happy for Cyrus and TJ.

The first person to comment was Jonah. A reluctant smile spread across his face as he watched his friend start a wonderful new adventure. "I'm happy for you two!" he proclaimed, switching to his usual Jonah cheer. "But," he asked for clarification, "when did this happen?"

Cyrus simply laughed. He wasn't exactly sure what to say to that. He couldn't pinpoint the exact moment that he realized he had a crush on TJ; he just kind of knew.

While Cyrus laughed off the question, Andi and Buffy started laughing at Jonah.

"Since the beginning of time!" Andi and Buffy joked simultaneously after a shared glance.

Jonah shrugged this off. Cyrus, on the other hand, didn't realize that Andi knew about his crush. He knew that Buffy was really savvy, but he didn't think Andi had a clue about this.

With a happily perplexed expression and demeanor, Cyrus asked, "Wait, Andi, you knew?"

To this question, Andi cheerily responded, "Duh! It's so obvious! I've seen the way you two look at each other!"

At the mention of this point, both of them glanced at each other and blushed, which of course only solicited more teasing from the rest of the group.

While Cyrus questioned Andi's knowledge, TJ became embarrassed because of Buffy. Once again, she was right about something in his life about which he was clueless. He hated admitting that Buffy was right. Sure, they were friends at this point, but why did Buffy have to know so much more about TJ than TJ did? And why did she _always_ have to be right about his life? First it was the dyscalculia, and now this! At this point, he wouldn't have been surprised if Buffy knew he was gay before he did! Although that would have gotten under his skin quite a bit, TJ decided to skip that discussion so as to preserve the friendship that he and Buffy had worked so hard to build over the past year. He was mainly just embarrassed, but he was able to brush it off, and the conversation continued.

"So," Jonah butted in curiously after a somewhat awkward moment of silence, "when exactly did you guys become official?"

Cyrus was more than happy to respond, and for more than one reason. "TJ-" he started with a huge grin on his face. TJ knew where this was going, and he elbowed Cyrus in the side a little bit harder than he intended to, causing Cyrus to grimace. Of course, Cyrus got the message, and he changed course from the goal of telling the whole group TJ's name. He continued, "TJ and I got to talking last night at the party, and we realized that we weren't telling each other about the feelings we had for each other. And we became-" Cyrus trailed off. He didn't exactly know what they became. They said that they were "official," but official what? They never put a label on their relationship, and Cyrus was hesitant to do so because he wasn't sure if that's what TJ wanted.

"Boyfriends," finished TJ, "we became boyfriends." He smiled at Cyrus, who smiled back at him with that adoring look that he couldn't seem to shake whenever he so much as glanced in TJ's direction. He was relieved that TJ wanted to call it this because that's what he wanted as well.

"Yeah," added Cyrus, "we're boyfriends."

Everyone at the table smiled and voiced how happy they were for the new couple.

After about a total of an hour at The Spoon, TJ got a text saying that his parents needed him back home for something.

"I have to get going," he said disappointedly after he read the text, directing his words at Cyrus.

"So soon?" Cyrus was curious but understanding.

"Yeah, sorry, my parents need me at home. We've been doing some maintenance around the house, and they need me to help." TJ spoke with a mild frustration that any 14-year-old boy might have when asked by their parents to do extra chores. He knew he just had to go and do it.

"Alright," conceded Cyrus. He got up to let TJ out, and the two of them sort of awkwardly hugged goodbye. This was new territory for them, and they were in a public place, so they weren't exactly well-versed in how to appropriately show their affection for each other. "I'll see you later."

"Yeah, I'll text you later," TJ said happily.

Once TJ left, Cyrus sat back down and was met with large smug grins from his friends across the table as Jonah just sat there and smiled.

"What?" Cyrus said somewhat defensively while beginning to turn red and break a smile.

"Nothing," Andi said smugly and suggestively.

Buffy just laughed with Andi, and the conversation continued for a few more minutes before they were ready to leave.

When they all left, Andi and Jonah walked in a different direction out of The Spoon than did Buffy and Cyrus, in accordance with their destinations. This left Buffy and Cyrus walking together for a while.

"So," Buffy started suggestively with a smirk as they walked a bit away from The Spoon, "You and TJ?" She could hardly contain herself.

Cyrus smiled. "Yeah, it's great!" He had kept it together while they were in the restaurant because he didn't want to seem like too much in front of TJ, but he couldn't hold his demeanor much longer. He was just so excited, and he couldn't wait to talk one-on-one with Buffy about this!

Buffy responded to Cyrus's characteristically bombastic display of excitement with a joyful laugh and overall demeanor of happiness.

"I told you he didn't like Kira," Buffy remarked, in the same bragging tone one might be heard saying "I knew it!"

All Cyrus could do was smile.

"Seriously, I'm really happy for both of you," Buffy changed her tone to a less self-complimenting one to a softer, more congratulatory one.

"Thanks, I really appreciate it," replied Cyrus. He wanted to acknowledge his friend for how good a friend she was, and he became mellower. "And thanks for being there when I couldn't see that things were looking up."

"Of course," she reassured Cyrus.

Cyrus also didn't want there to be any unpaid debt between him and his friend. He wanted to be just as good a friend to Buffy as Buffy was to him. He remembered that they had talked about Marty the previous night and that Buffy was struggling too. He wanted to make sure that he didn't ignore what Buffy was feeling just because he was happy.

"So, did you talk to Marty last night?" he asked curiously and with caution.

"As a matter of fact, I did," Buffy responded. She brightened up as soon as Cyrus asked the question.

Cyrus noticed Buffy's sudden shift in mood from happy to a smug sort of excited. This excited him, too, as he prepared for the good news.

"Really? What happened?" he said in the same hastily excited way that he had spoken when preparing to finally hear TJ's name.

Buffy laughed. "I said that I wanted to try straightforward talking instead of just witty banter…"

"Yeah?"

"And then _that_ didn't work, so I walked out because I was embarrassed."

"Oh." Cyrus was disappointed in this news, and he felt bad for making Buffy talk about it. That is, of course, until she kept talking.

"But then he followed me and we tried again. I told him that I like him, and that I was telling him in case he ever changed his mind about not wanting a relationship."

Cyrus was excited again as he had a feeling he knew where this dialogue was heading. "And then what?"

"He took both my hands and told me that he'd never changed his mind."

"Aww! Yes! I knew it!" Cyrus exclaimed loudly.

Now it was Buffy's turn to blush, but she wasn't done telling the story.

"And we kissed!" Buffy yelled out a little bit louder than she meant to, out of pure admiration and excitement.

"YOU WHAT?" Cyrus stopped in his tracks and stopped Buffy with him. He turned to her, shocked and gleeful at hearing this news.

"We kissed!" Buffy repeated with the same level as excitement as before. "He said all those things, and then he kissed me!"

"Wait, so," Cyrus began to tease, "am I hearing that last night Buffy Driscoll had her first kiss?"

Buffy was all smiles. "You don't have to be so shocked," she responded.

The roles reversed, and Cyrus pulled out his own smugness. "You're just jealous because I had my first kiss before you had yours." Sure, it was with Iris, who he only dated for a very brief amount of time before he realized he was gay, but it still happened, and he was still excited when it happened. He would still always have that memory to look back on.

"Shut up," Buffy said playfully while laughing.

They both laughed together.

"In all seriousness though," assured Cyrus, "I am happy for you, and I hope things go well for you two."

"And I hope things go well between you and TJ," replied Buffy with a soft smile.

The two friends walked together being mostly quiet for the rest of their walk, reflecting on the events of the past twenty-four hours and being happy for each other. They were both glad that they were right about the other, and they couldn't wait to see what came next for each other.

**AN (last): Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Here are the links to the songs Cyrus texted TJ, in case anyone is interested in listening (I do not own either; they are links to external sources). Chapter 3 coming soon!**

**Well You Needn't: watch?v=FOvKLvWuZjg**

**Wild Horses: watch?v=ZNaqBBjrIZw**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: This chapter is a special one, taking place 7 years into the future; Cyrus is 21 years old. It was inspired by recent events. I would also like to add a dedication to this chapter. I am dedicating this chapter to Joshua Rush so that the message of it may speak to him. After this chapter, I will go back to posting every Sunday in the current timeline.**

**I do not own anything recognizable.**

**Chapter 3**

_-2026-_

Cyrus woke up in his dorm room bed on Saturday morning. He woke up to a surprising Tweet from his favorite actor.

This wasn't just an actor to Cyrus, though. This was someone a few years younger than he was, by the name of Jared Rush, who had become an inspiration to many. He was deeply connected with Cyrus's struggle in coming out, but only years later.

When Cyrus was young, he believed he was different for being gay because, the truth is, he never really saw himself in pop culture. There were a bunch of TV shows that represented gay characters as just that – gay. That was it. That was their entire personality. But Mr. Rush's character was in a groundbreaking show that aired on a television programming network so deeply connected to Cyrus's past and childhood, and that character was different than the other gay tropes. He wasn't just gay, he was human. He was a real, living, breathing person with so many complex layers along with strengths and insecurities that you might expect to find in anyone else. Cyrus believed that this represented him.

Sure, this character had a storyline based around his sexuality, but it wasn't his whole thing. Cyrus was glad to see someone on TV going through these struggles in what he considered to be a very real way. The show represented the character coming to grips with his own sexuality, coming out, and even developing and acting on crushes, all while living a wholesome life that was not always entirely dependent on that one part of himself. Of course, this had been attempted before in television and film, but never before had it felt so organic and realistic. The show spoke to many other issues of diversity, too, but this particular storyline really spoke to Cyrus.

The program was relatively new, and Cyrus hadn't discovered it until he was 20 years old. Even though it was a show targeted for kids and younger teens, the message and the representation spoke to him. _Finally_, he was offered the chance to look back on those years of his life in a positive way that truly represented his experiences. There were some differences, of course; not everyone's story is the same. But it was the notion of portraying diversity in the way it actually exists, the solace that Cyrus was able to take in the story itself and what it meant to him, and the recognition by someone that he was just human and that his unique struggles didn't make him fundamentally different than anyone else. It reminded him of what Buffy had said to him when he first came out, "You've always been weird, but you're no different." He actually felt that someone with power and validity as a public figure was telling him that, and that was one of the greatest feelings he could have had.

Cyrus became what some people might consider to be too invested in this show for a 20-year-old. But he didn't care. The story spoke to him, and that's what mattered.

The surprising tweet that Cyrus found that morning was Mr. Rush tweeting his own coming out as bisexual. For as long as Cyrus had known of this actor, he always assumed he was straight. Of course, that was Cyrus's own society-influenced implicit bias towards heteronormativity kicking in, but it just never occurred to him that someone who was so much of an influence on his life – politically and culturally, for that matter – not only portrayed a character that had something in common with him, but actually did have something in common. Cyrus was aware that bisexuality and homosexuality were not the same thing, but he still took solace in knowing that some of their struggles might have been similar. It brought Mr. Rush to an even more human level in Cyrus's eyes, which honestly just made him so much more influential.

Mr. Rush wrote about how it was ironic that while he played the networks first openly gay character and inspired so many LGBT youth to muster the courage to embrace themselves and come out, that he didn't necessarily have that courage at the time and was battling his own internal form of homophobia. He said that it was seeing how dedicated and encouraged his fans were that encouraged him to finally embrace himself for who he was and come out to the world.

This story touched Cyrus's heart in ways he never knew it could, and he wanted to act. He did the only thing he could think to do. Cyrus picked up a pen, and he started writing a letter. By the time it was finished, it read like this:

_Dear Mr. Rush,_

_I want to say thank you for everything you have done for your fans, supporters, and so many kids in the world. You gave many of us, including myself, great strength and confidence to be who we truly are._

_Your coming out was equally as inspiring as other things you have done in your career thus far. Although you probably don't want it to be a huge deal, it is. It is not a big deal because you are bi; it is a big deal because the action you took of coming out on such an influential platform probably inspired even more LGBT youth. You mention that your fans helped you develop the courage to embrace yourself and come out. What you may or may not see is that your coming out is now likely helping many more of your fans and followers develop their own courage._

_Speaking for myself, I am thoroughly impressed with you as an incredible human being. You have gotten involved in so many ways in your community and nation that you believe will make a difference, and you have been an inspiration to many. I am a fan, yes, but that is not my only view of you. I have a view of you that exceeds the amount of respect I believed was possible to hold for another human being. Not just as an actor, not just as a public figure, but as a human._

_You have used your platform in so many ways to benefit people in such an impressive manner at such a young age. What you have done is remarkable and deserves credit._

_Many think that just taking on a role like the one you played is enough to be considered an icon, when in reality, it is just doing your job as an actor. What you did, however, was that you embraced every part of the story and gave your best effort to connect with a community of people that too often hurts because of societal "norms," stereotyping, and shaming. You stood up, and you continue to stand up to those who have hostile intentions toward the LGBT community when others were too afraid or too tired to do so. And because of all of those things, this community is ready to welcome you with open arms._

_Finally, as a message to you from me – and probably many others – be who you are, and don't let anyone stand in your way. I don't know where you are in your journey; each individual's story is unique. If you ever struggle to accept something about yourself – for any reason, really – remember how much you have done for so many people. If you ever feel down, remember that you have whole communities of people that will rally to bring you up. Your story, as the general public knows it, is an amazing one that shows a unique aspect of LGBT culture and how we call upon each other to inspire each other. Continue to build your already incredible legacy._

_You have become an icon who holds a permanent place in many of our hearts. For that, on behalf of every life you have touched and every community you have inspired, I want to say thank you._

_With great respect and sincerity,_

_Cyrus Goodman_

**AN: Hey guys, hope you enjoyed! I have two requests at the end of this. One: spread this as far as you can; I would normally never push anyone to share my stories, but this is one that I think can be particular powerful if shared with the right people (you probably know who I'm talking about). Two: if you **_**are**_** going to attempt to share this story with Joshua Rush, do not do it as a fan trying to get his attention; please do it as a gesture of deep gratitude, as this is what this frame story is meant to be.**

**I will release another chapter in the present timeline on Sunday. Thank you to all the readers who remain invested in the story, and I look forward to uploading more content soon!**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: Two chapters this week (4 and 5)! I do not own anything recognizable.**

**Chapter 4**

Jonah was tired. He was unable to get to sleep the prior night as he lay in his bed with his eyes open and his mind full. The past two days had been full of news. It was all good news, but Jonah didn't know how he would be able to fare with any of it. Andi got accepted to a magnet high school for art; Cyrus and TJ just announced that they were in a relationship; after lunch, Buffy texted him and told him that she began a relationship with Marty. That left Jonah on the outs. Everyone else was either leaving or began an exclusive relationship with someone who wasn't him. He and Amber had just broken up, and while they were on relatively good terms, it was still a little bit awkward. Jonah wasn't being selfish. He was genuinely happy to hear everyone's exciting news. He had been through so much in his life that was sometimes hidden behind his smile and Jonah charm. When he was with his friends, he didn't have to hide it. When he was with his friends, his charm and happiness were pretty much always real and authentic. They were there for him in a way that he had never experienced before, and now he felt alone.

It was not lost on Jonah that his friends would always be willing to lend a listening ear. He knew that if he wanted to talk to someone about what was going on, he could. It just felt a little bit different this time because he didn't want to accidentally make anyone feel guilty for being happy. He had to be careful about his word choice when expressing his feelings, because Jonah hated making others feel bad. It took a lot of courage just to stand up to Andi on costume day, and he didn't feel all that great about it afterwards either. How was he supposed to express grief at major milestones in his friends' lives?

Despite this, Jonah knew that he had to talk to his friends. He understood that his worries would not be answered unless he did.

A little later in the day, Jonah picked up the phone to call Andi. He believed that she was the best person to whom he could talk about this because he already had a unique bond with her. He hesitated because he wasn't sure what to say quite yet. He decided that this would be a conversation best held in person, so he texted Andi instead.

_Hey, can we talk later? _he asked.

_Sure, what's up? _Andi responded almost immediately.

_I was just worried about something and wanted to talk to you._

_Of course_, Andi replied, _What is it?_

_I was kind of hoping we could talk in person._

Andi accepted this request, and they started to figure out a time to meet. In the meantime, Jonah would just try to figure out what he was going to say.

The next day, the pair of them met at the park and decided to talk while taking a stroll. Jonah showed up as his usual smiling self so that he didn't seem too heavy at first.

"Hey," he smiled at Andi as she met up with him in the park and they began walking together, "how are you?"

"I'm good," Andi smiled, "What did you want to talk about?" Andi wouldn't show it, but Jonah's texts earlier worried her. She wanted to make sure that Jonah was okay as quickly as possible.

"Well," Jonah began to respond, but he quickly thought once more about the implications that bringing up this subject could have on his friendship with Andi. He had come here to let Andi know that he was afraid of losing her, but he couldn't say that. They had a weird on-again off-again relationship that never really got very far. They weren't certain how they felt about each other, and the timing was never right for them. The costume day occurrence also worried him that Andi would think that he was being a hypocrite. In addition, he knew that while Andi loved her friends more than anything, she was also a very independent person. He didn't want to do anything to make it seem like he was trying to get in the way of that. Thinking about all that, he ended up deciding that Andi might actually be the _worst_ person to talk to about all of this. With all of those factors swirling around in his head, he backed out at the last second. "Are you going to be okay at SAVA? I just worry about you in a new place." He made up the ridiculous concern because he knew he had to say _something_. He knew that Andi would be fine; he just had to come up with some sort of diverting topic.

"THAT is what you wanted to talk about in person," Andi laughed. "Why couldn't we talk about that over the phone?"

"Because," Jonah struggled to find a convenient excuse, "I guess I just like hanging out with you." Afraid that Andi would take this as a desperate attempt to get back together with her, or at least some sort of weird manipulative tactic of a clingy friend, Jonah braced himself for the worst.

Instead, Andi laughed and moved on. "I'll be fine," she said, "but I do appreciate your concern."

The two of them talked for a while about SAVA and how excited Andi was to go there. She even got Jonah more excited for her to go there, too.

Andi was also excited to talk about Bex and Bowie on their honeymoon. Since they had finally gotten married, it took a lot of convincing from Andi and Cece to get them to go on a honeymoon. Neither were closed off to the idea; they just didn't like others pressuring them to do it. They had planned it before the party and had departed for the Bahamas several hours before this conversation.

The afternoon was all smiles, and the two talked on for a while and both generally enjoyed themselves. Lurking in the back of Jonah's mind, however, was still the thought of losing his friends to bigger and better things than him.

Elsewhere, a few days later, Buffy and Cyrus were hanging out with each other and talking about what was going on in their lives. They both had spent quite a bit of time with their significant others since becoming official, and they updated each other. Buffy told Cyrus about the witty banter between her and Marty that didn't go away after they stopped being friends. It just kind of worked for them. Of course, it was more flirting than anything else, but Buffy was kind of glad that not much had actually changed. TJ and Cyrus were quite a bit of a more playful couple and they spent a lot of time laughing around and calling each other cute.

In the midst of their conversation, they realized that neither couple had actually been on what they considered to be a proper date.

"I don't know how I would fare with just Marty on a date," said Buffy, deep in thought about their personalities and how they would come about in a more formal setting.

"Yeah, I don't know," replied Cyrus, "It's the same with me and TJ. I've been hesitant to ask him on a real date. It feels like it could be a lot of pressure, sitting there and having the expectation for conversation."

"Yeah," said Buffy reflectively, "It just seems so…," she hesitated, "structured."

The two of them pondered for a bit, thinking about the concept of dating. They both felt that it was something they should be doing with their boyfriends, but didn't necessarily know how to accomplish it. They each were intimidated by the date format with the expectation of a certain nature of conversation. Neither were sure that they would be equipped to pull something like that off.

"Oh, I know!" Buffy suddenly perked up, "let's go on a double date!"

"A double date?" Cyrus repeated, intrigued.

"Yeah, you know? You and TJ sitting across from me and Marty. We call it a date, but it's more like four friends hanging out."

"And we do that all the time," Cyrus chimed in, getting on board with the idea.

"So do you want to do it?" Buffy asked excitedly.

"Sure!" answered Cyrus with glee.

"I'll ask Marty, and you can ask TJ."

"I'll get on that!" Cyrus said with a joyful sense of urgency.

Cyrus didn't need to be concerned about outing TJ to Marty. Marty already knew about TJ and Cyrus. Although TJ only said that he was okay with Andi, Buffy, and Jonah knowing, once he found out that Buffy and Marty were dating, he knew that Marty figuring it out would be inevitable. He didn't mind. He also wasn't very closed off to the idea of coming out. He just didn't want it to become a big thing out of nowhere. He would rather just be with Cyrus and let people figure it out. Marty was very accepting. In fact, he didn't seem to care that much at all. He wasn't really close to TJ or Cyrus, and he believed that people should just live their lives and be themselves. It wasn't really a factor in his thoughts about either of them.

Buffy reached out to Marty, and Cyrus reached out to TJ. TJ and Marty were on board with the idea. They didn't really formally ask each other on dates. They just kind of all informally agreed that it would happen. Through a convoluted series of text messages that had to be misinterpreted a few times before anyone actually figured out what was going on, they set up a night to meet at a local Italian sit down restaurant called _Josephine's_. It was a family friendly place, so it wasn't too fancy, but it was certainly more formal than The Spoon.

When the day came, all four of them collectively agreed to dress up a little bit and wait until the end of the day to see each other. For TJ, it was torture having to wait until the end of the day to see Cyrus. They didn't even hang out every day; he just knew to expect something in the evening, so he couldn't wait.

Buffy went to The Spoon for lunch, and while there, she ran into Jonah, who sat alone.

Buffy approached Jonah's table as he waited for his food. "Hey," she said gently, "What's up?"

Jonah was a little bit startled, as he wasn't expecting any of his friends to show up. "Not much," he said with a reluctant smile.

"Just came here for a quick bite?" she asked.

"Yeah."

"Me too."

"Great. Wanna sit?" he invited.

"Sure," Buffy replied happily. She liked to take advantage of any opportunity to hang out with her friends. She thought this was a good one because although she and Jonah were friends, she wasn't exactly as close with him as Andi and Cyrus were. She was quite aware that it was probably because she was the only one of the three of them who hadn't had a crush on him at some point, so she didn't take quite as much interest in random details about his life as the other two did – constantly.

Buffy sat down and ordered her food. She and Jonah talked for a bit, and she noticed that something was off.

"Is everything okay?" she asked. "You seem down."

Jonah's already fading smile went away completely. He wanted to talk to Buffy about this but didn't know the right time. Now that she was asking, it was the right time.

"No," he replied softly, "I haven't been happy lately." He changed course because he didn't want to make Buffy feel bad. "I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm happy for all of you. It's just-" he trailed off. He wasn't sure how to complete that thought.

"What are you talking about?" said Buffy with an oddly comforting laugh.

Jonah sighed. "I'm worried about losing all of you."

"What?" Buffy said with a laugh that this time resembled bewilderment at the fact that Jonah actually thought that he could lose these friends.

Jonah became somewhat impatiently frustrated. "Andi's going to art school, you and Cyrus are in relationships, and I feel like I'm the odd one out." His tone changed to worry. "What if those things consume your lives and I don't get to be in them."

Buffy shifted her demeanor to one of understanding and listening.

"I'm happy for all of you with the new stuff that's going on, I really am," Jonah continued, "but I lean on you three more than anyone else. You're all my best friends, and I just don't want to lose that."

"And you won't," Buffy interjected rather quickly. She understood. Jonah had been through more than most people realized, and she knew that he needed them.

Jonah was quiet while Buffy reassured him some more.

"Jonah, we're your friends. We're not just going to blow you by the wayside. We care."

This comforted Jonah, and he calmed down quite a bit. "Thank you," he said with a smile.

Buffy became more upbeat at this point. "We should all get together soon. It's been a few days."

"Should we meet to do something tonight?" Jonah asked excitedly.

Buffy's demeanor shifted again to a more apologetic one. "Oh, I can't tonight. I have a date with Marty."

"Oh," Jonah said, "well, maybe I can ask Cyrus if-"

"It's a double date," Buffy interrupted so that Jonah didn't get his hopes up, "TJ and Cyrus are going to be there, too."

"Oh, alright," replied Jonah, his smile fading a bit.

Buffy really did feel bad. She was trying to show support for a friend, but at the moment, because of prior commitment, she was unable to follow through on the action that would mean the most to him.

"We can do it another time," said Jonah hopefully.

"Of course."

The two of them ate their lunch and went on with the rest of their day. Jonah didn't really leave the conversation with much more optimism than with the little he entered it.

When evening came, Marty and TJ agreed to meet Buffy and Cyrus outside the restaurant. Buffy and Cyrus awaited their dates together, Buffy in a dress – which she didn't wear often – and Cyrus in a suit similar to the one he wore at his bar mitzvah. TJ and Marty walked up at the same time, and the first thing all four of them thought was "Wow."

TJ and Cyrus had seen each other dressed up before, at the bar mitzvah. This time was different, though. They were seeing each other for the first time as boyfriends on a date with each other. They appreciated so much more about each other, as they both found the other one dashingly handsome. Cyrus was in awe of TJ's green suit that matched his eyes, along with a matching tie. This, however, was no match for Cyrus's navy blue formalwear and perfectly combed hair that even Marty had to admire for a moment.

"You look amazing," TJ said to Cyrus, causing Cyrus to turn red.

"And so do you," Buffy turned to Marty and smiled.

The group was pleased by this initial interaction which they hoped would be the indicator for how the rest of the night would go. Unfortunately, it was not.

Rather than being romantic and casual at the same time, like they all hoped it would be, dinner actually got awkward pretty quickly.

Marty had not spent much time with Cyrus or TJ, so he struggled to come up with something to say. He turned to Cyrus and started laughing about what was a fond memory for himself, but not so much for the other two. "Hey, remember when you dressed up as salt on costume day? That was a pretty solid costume."

That was something that TJ and Cyrus both just wanted to let go. It was a really bad day for Cyrus because he felt like he had been abandoned by a friend; it was also a bad memory for TJ because he was pretty much wrapped around Kira's finger at that point. They both exchanged a grimace with each other, and Buffy also got involved by showing her teeth in a face that gave the expression of 'didn't see that coming.'

Marty's smile faded when he saw everyone's reaction, since he realized he didn't understand the context behind that story.

"Sorry, did I say something wrong?" he worried.

"It was supposed to be 'somersault,'" Cyrus clarified, "a couple's costume with me and TJ."

"And I didn't follow through," TJ added, seemingly disappointed with himself.

"I'm so sorry," Marty said, "I didn't mean to bring that up."

"It's fine," Cyrus shrugged it off and moved on with his typical optimistic resilience. That didn't keep it from getting any more awkward, though.

This first conversation was pretty indicative of how the rest of the date went. The group didn't really work well together. TJ and Marty didn't know each other that well, and Marty didn't really know Cyrus that well. Buffy was the only one there who knew everyone at the table deeply, and she couldn't help but cringe when something was brought up out of context that the others didn't quite understand. It might even be fair to say that Buffy felt that awkwardness the most out of any of the four that night.

At one point, Marty started talking about basketball tryouts, which were around the time when he was initially getting to know Buffy. He mentioned "the guy who was a jerk to Buffy because she was a girl."

"That was me," TJ said shamefully hesitantly, "I've changed."

It just kind of created a long awkward silence as they all tried to forget that it happened. Buffy and TJ didn't really want to think about that part of their acquaintance to each other anymore.

Later, TJ started playfully teasing Cyrus about the chocolate chocolate-chip muffin, and Marty was lost as to what they were even talking about. Buffy knew what happened, but she knew that Marty didn't, and she had a hard time laughing about it.

The rest of the date consisted of more inside jokes and references to misunderstood and falsely contextualized moments in each other's lives. They all liked each other. No one in the group had any sort of problem with each other whatsoever. It was just clear that hanging out with each other like that, especially on a date, was quite awkward.

After the date was over, everyone went home a bit unsatisfied. Cyrus went home feeling that maybe dating just wasn't really for him and TJ, and he would just be happy with the relationship that they had.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: I do not own anything recognizable.**

**Chapter 5**

Cyrus woke up with only the memory of how unsatisfying the previous night had felt. It was his first real date with TJ, and it didn't go so well. Marty didn't really seem to know them at all, so it just became kind of awkward rather quickly and stayed that way throughout dinner.

Cyrus checked his phone shortly after waking up. He had gotten a text from TJ:

_Meet me in the park at 9:00._

It was 8:57, and Cyrus started to panic. Was something wrong? He didn't know what was going on, but wanted to meet TJ.

_Hang on! I'm coming! _He texted back.

Cyrus started rushing like crazy to get out of bed and get ready to meet TJ. Did TJ need help? Was there something going on that he needed advice? Was something bad happening? The text just came out of nowhere, and Cyrus had a tendency to worry.

Cyrus skipped his shower that morning so that he could get to the park as soon as possible. He ate a quick breakfast of cereal at home and an apple on the way.

He got another text from TJ:

_Meet me by the swings._

That's exactly where Cyrus went as soon as he saw that text.

"TJ! Is everything-" Cyrus started to ask if everything was okay before he saw TJ sitting on the swing peacefully and smiling. Cyrus stopped in his tracks and was a bit confused. "What's happening?"

"Our second date," TJ replied nonchalantly.

Cyrus stood perplexed.

TJ momentarily stopped swinging, "Would you like to join me on it, or do I have to go it alone?"

Cyrus was confused. He really thought dating wasn't going to work for him and TJ, but it seemed like TJ knew what he was doing this time.

Cyrus smiled, and he hopped on the swing. The two of them spent about the next hour swinging side by side.

At one point, while Cyrus was still swinging, TJ stopped. "I know you can swing higher than that, underdog," he laughed.

Cyrus knew what was coming. He started chuckling while TJ got off the swing and came closer. TJ started pushing Cyrus on the swing in a re-enactment of their initial meeting at that spot. Instead of shying away from the second set of pushes this time, Cyrus yelled "Woohoo! Let's go again!" That went on for about five minutes before they both continued swinging.

While swinging, TJ and Cyrus didn't say much. They occasionally smiled at each other and shared brief periods of laughter, but what they really both seemed to want to do was enjoy the tranquility of nature and their surroundings.

It was a beautiful morning. It was nice and warm, but not too hot. The trees all around them were green and lively. The park was mostly silent this early, other than birds chirping and sounds of nature serenading those who endeavored to enjoy them. The sun shone, causing the dew on the grass to glisten brightly and gleefully. It was perfect.

At around 10:30, TJ stopped swinging. "Time to get going," he said to Cyrus.

"What? Already?" Cyrus asked, somewhat disappointedly. How could their date be ending already? Sure, it was nice while it lasted, but that was kind of brief for Cyrus.

Before Cyrus could continue being disappointed, TJ said, "Well yeah, we don't want to be late for our next stop."

Once again, Cyrus smiled. He realized what TJ was doing. He had it all planned out. Somehow, he planned it all the night before. TJ wanted to make last night up to Cyrus. He knew that Cyrus was disappointed with it, so he wanted to go on a better date to show Cyrus just how much he really wanted to try for him.

"Where are we going?" Cyrus asked.

"Well, if I tell you, it would ruin the surprise." TJ was adamant about teasing Cyrus for the duration of this date as long as there was another event around the corner. He had planned a whole day for himself and Cyrus, and he wasn't going to let Cyrus guess it away.

It worked. Cyrus couldn't help but to hold a huge smile on his face because of what TJ was doing. At the same time, he began to get curiously impatient. Not impatient in an irritable way, but impatient in a cute sort of excited way.

TJ purposefully threw Cyrus off by walking with him all over town, repeating some of the same turns onto streets they had already walked down. He did this just so that Cyrus would have no idea where TJ was taking him.

"Are you sure you know where you're going?" Cyrus asked. "Do you want to tell me so that I can help?"

"Nice try," TJ teased, "I know exactly where I'm going, and I am making it a point that you don't know until we get there."

In fact, TJ and Cyrus passed by their destination several times before actually stopping there. When TJ was ready to reveal to Cyrus where they were going he stopped and said "We're here."

Cyrus was a little bit confused. He had just been walking along the same city streets for about an hour and they finally stopped in the middle of the sidewalk of some strip mall-type complex. Before Cyrus could think any more, he turned to his left and saw that they were standing at the gymnasium where TJ helped Cyrus learn how to do a somersault.

"Shall we enter?" TJ prodded.

Cyrus followed TJ inside, and they went up to the administration desk. Since TJ volunteered there regularly, the secretary knew him.

"Good morning TJ," he said. He turned to Cyrus, "And you must be Cyrus?"

"Yes, good morning," Cyrus was caught a little bit off guard by the fact that the person at the desk knew his name. He had only been there once, and this was not the person who was working the desk last time. He turned to TJ and whispered, "What's going on?"

"I signed us up for some volunteer time," TJ responded.

This made Cyrus smile again. The last time they were here was a blast for Cyrus. He loved working with the kids, and he even made a breakthrough about his own strength. That day taught him that he could overcome any obstacle, and ever since then, he wanted to pass that message on to others as well.

The secretary gave them both volunteer badges, and they walked into the gym area. There were kids active all over the place and enjoying themselves. Some were waiting in line for the balance beam, some were with other volunteers in preset groups doing various activities, and others were just playing around on the padded equipment until they were to start with their group rotations.

Every week, this gym would have once a day rotation groups where large groups of kids would come in and break up into smaller groups, rotating between various different activities. The way it worked was that there would be two volunteers with each group, and the volunteers rotated activities with the kids. Each group would have twenty minutes at each station. There were six stations, and if there were more than six groups, one would have rest/lunch time. TJ had signed himself and Cyrus up to be in charge of group six, as it was predetermined that there would be seven groups that day.

The group had about seven kids in it, ranging in age from seven to nine years old. Cyrus looked at their first activity assignment listed on the duties sheet:

_General gymnastics: cartwheels, somersaults, handstands_

Of course. Of course TJ had signed him up to do somersaults. How could he have done anything different?

When the rotation time started at about 12:30, group six came over to TJ and Cyrus's station, excited about the day ahead. These kids came to this gym often, and they recognized and loved TJ because they had seen him there before a lot. He was the perfect one to hype them all up.

"Hey guys!" TJ exclaimed, "Welcome back!"

They all cheered, as they awaited what was in store for them today.

"I brought a friend today," he gestured toward Cyrus, "this is Cyrus."

While Cyrus was excited, he didn't really have a lot of experience around kids or leading any sort of group really. He just kind of smiled and waved at the kids rather awkwardly, yet charmingly. The kids laughed a bit at Cyrus's awkwardness, and Cyrus just kind of went with it. He didn't expect what was coming next.

"Who here knows how to do a somersault?" TJ inquired energetically. Two of them raised their hands. "Well, my friend Cyrus, here, knows how. And he's going to teach you today!"

Cyrus was stunned. He was not prepared for this, and he certainly did not have much confidence in his ability to teach anyone how to do anything. He was being thrown into the ring without training. He gave TJ a quick side eye that only TJ was able to notice. TJ laughed as Cyrus changed his expression to a smile to address the kids.

"The two of you who know how to do a somersault, what are your names?"

They told him that their names were Sarah and Gideon.

"Well, Sarah and Gideon," Cyrus spoke to them, "how about since you know how to do it, you can come up here and help me demonstrate?"

Sarah and Gideon were excited about the prospect of helping Cyrus teach the concept.

"Everyone watch first," Cyrus said to the rest of the kids.

Cyrus began to explain step by step in a very broken down way for those who thought more linearly, while Sarah and Gideon demonstrated each step. TJ served as the comic relief, as he laughed about Sarah's and Gideon's positions while they were halfway through the somersault during Cyrus's tutorial, the tops of their heads on the floor with their backs arched in funny ways. Everyone laughed at TJ's hilarious commentary, including Cyrus. This fed into Cyrus's energy.

Once Cyrus was done explaining, he demonstrated the somersault himself. He felt an unprecedented amount of pride in his personal ability to demonstrate a perfect somersault on the first try. He had TJ go next, then Sarah and Gideon, and then the rest of the kids one at a time. After they were done with somersaults, they moved on to cartwheels and handstands, more things that Cyrus didn't previously know that he was able to do.

Since this group was group number six, their lunch time was in the second rotation. During this time, TJ and Cyrus got to talk to the kids and get to know more about them. Cyrus learned the most because he had never been with any of these kids before. He learned all of their names and ages. For the most part, they just held a casual conversation. Some kids talked about where they went on vacation, some talked about the great meals that their moms cooked for them lately, and some talked about their favorite TV shows and video games. Learning more about these kids hyped up Cyrus even more for the rest of the afternoon.

As their afternoon volunteering went on, Cyrus acquired more and more energy. He absolutely loved working with these kids. They were so energetic and unstoppable in their pursuit of activity.

The next activity that they had was the balance beam. They took turns crossing the balance beam, and TJ and Cyrus used the games suggested on the volunteer sheet. At times, they pretended that the balance beam was a bridge, and if you fell you would fall into a lake full of crocodiles. You'd have to get out before being eaten by one of the crocodiles, and if you got eaten by one of the crocodiles, you would become one. It was kind of like a sharks and minnows type game.

Their next station was a climbing station. There were some ropes and a padded structure built for small amounts of climbing.

After that, they had some free time. The group that was in free time got to do pretty much whatever they wanted with the space they had for that twenty minutes. Cyrus took this as another opportunity to get to know the kids in the group better. At this point, though, the volunteers acted more as supervisors.

The next station was the trampoline station. The kids got to bounce around, come up with games, and have fun there.

The last station was a padded obstacle course. It only took about thirty seconds to a minute for one person to complete, depending on how fast and agile the person was. They made games out of this obstacle course, too. It was also an adjustable obstacle course, so the volunteers could shake things up a bit. TJ stood at the entrance and said "go" when it was time for the next kid to enter the obstacle course. They went one at a time, and those standing by were encouraged to cheer on their peers as they completed the course. At the other end, Cyrus awaited the kids for when they finished, and he congratulated each one of them and gave them a high five when they completed the course. This is exactly where Cyrus wanted to be. He had gone through so much of his life being afraid to do things, thinking that he was too fragile. TJ brought out the best of Cyrus's confidence in himself, and now Cyrus wanted to help younger kids feel confident, too. High-fiving and cheering on the kids at the gym was not only fun for him, but super fulfilling. At some point, he made the conscious decision that he would come back and volunteer with the gym more often. He'd love to come and volunteer with TJ, and he would later let TJ know that.

As their hours of volunteering for the day ended, Cyrus found himself to be rather impressed with the facility. It was big, but it wasn't huge. They used the space that they had very well, and it was quite an amazing feat.

"Best date ever!" Cyrus told TJ as they left the gym, never having lost sight of the fact that this was a date.

"Did you think it was over?" TJ asked smugly. He seemed to have a habit of making Cyrus smile, which Cyrus didn't mind so much.

Cyrus wondered what could possibly be left.

TJ led Cyrus back to the park, which didn't seem so far away this time since they walked directly there and not all over town. They went to the blacktop with a basketball net.

"Sports?" Cyrus asked TJ with a perplexed laughter.

"I am going to teach you how to play basketball."

All Cyrus could do was laugh.

"Seriously!" said TJ. "It'll be fun."

The two of them worked on shooting for a while. TJ helped Cyrus with his form by getting behind him and adjusting his arms. This was very comforting to Cyrus. He couldn't seem to hug TJ in public without feeling super awkward, but he was fine with this.

It took Cyrus several tries to make his first shot, but when he did, he celebrated it like nothing in his life before. He was just so excited that he had made a basket that he couldn't calm down about it.

He attempted more baskets, and once he made a few in a row TJ moved on to talk to him about the rules. This took quite a bit of time, as Cyrus had to ask for a lot of clarifications. TJ sometimes fell into using terminology that Cyrus didn't understand at all, and he found himself having to backtrack a lot.

Once Cyrus believed he had a basic understanding of the rules of basketball, he insisted that he play one-on-one against TJ.

"Really? You want to play _me _in basketball?" TJ laughed.

"Sure, why not? I think I should give it a shot!"

"Alright. But you're going to be in for it!"

They started a one-on-one game, and TJ decided to take it easy on Cyrus. TJ recognized that Cyrus wasn't bad, and he wasn't weak, but he certainly wasn't Buffy or anywhere near that level. He kept it close, and tried hard while still giving Cyrus the chance to win.

Cyrus did end up winning the match, and he had to boast about it. "In your face, Kippen!" he said. TJ just laughed along with it.

"Want to play again?" Cyrus asked hopefully.

"Our date isn't over yet, and I have to take you to our last stop before it closes," TJ said.

"Alright," Cyrus replied. It was nearly evening, and Cyrus wondered what the last stop on TJ's list could be. He hoped it wasn't a restaurant or dinner place, since that didn't go too well the night before. Because of the time, he had some worry that it was.

Since Cyrus knew the town well, TJ pulled the same maneuvers of walking all over the place that he did earlier. Again, they passed their destination several times, just to throw Cyrus off. When they got to their destination a fourth time, TJ stopped and let Cyrus know.

TJ opened the door, and immediately the overwhelmingly pleasant smell of the place hit Cyrus. Cyrus took in the bakery air that gave him a sense of relaxation. He was not familiar with this bakery. While Cyrus enjoyed the pleasant smell, TJ interrupted:

"This place has the best muffins in town."

Cyrus looked at the menu above the counter and found an alphabetical list of a wide variety of muffins. The first was apple cinnamon. After that was banana nut. Sure enough, the two that followed immediately were blueberry macadamia and chocolate chocolate chip. He looked over at the casing to see huge fresh-baked muffins on display; they all looked so delicious.

"Order whatever you want," TJ insisted, "it's on me."

As expected, Cyrus ordered a chocolate chocolate chip muffin. TJ ordered the blueberry macadamia muffin that Cyrus didn't even know existed.

"Wait, don't I owe you that muffin?" Cyrus suddenly remembered Buffy's basketball tryouts.

"I'll let it go this time," TJ said, "I'm doing this for you."

The two walked back to the park while they enjoyed their muffins. They found a bench and sat down to finish.

"Did you have a good time today?" asked TJ.

"You bet I did!" Cyrus said with conviction. "How did you put all this together?"

"I have my ways," replied TJ smugly.

By this point, the previous double date was out of both of their heads. Dating was for them; they just had to do it in their own way.

Before they left, they stood up and said goodbye. There was no one in the park.

"I'm glad you had a good time," TJ said softly.

"Did you?" Cyrus asked.

"Of course," TJ chuckled.

In a moment, TJ leaned towards Cyrus. Cyrus quickly pulled back. He was caught off guard. When he realized what was happening, he smiled, and he leaned in again. Their lips touched for about two seconds. TJ smelled like macadamia nuts, and Cyrus loved that.

Their kiss broke, and they both smiled. They hugged and reluctantly left their separate ways to go home.

On his way home, Cyrus thought about the amazing day he had just had. He didn't think about what he would eat for dinner or what the next day would bring; he only thought about TJ. This day was amazing. It was perfect.

_**Chapter 6 Coming Soon!**_


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Hey guys! I've been getting your reviews, and I want to say that I appreciate them lots! I have much more content to share, so feedback helps!**

** I do not own anything recognizable.**

**Chapter 6**

Cyrus made his way to Cece's house. Bex and Bowie would be coming home from their honeymoon in about an hour, and their family and friends wanted to throw a welcome back party for the two of them. Cece had told Bowie to check in with her as soon as they got back. She even gave them a specific time, which didn't really shock them much as Bex was aware how detail oriented her mother was. As this was the day after Cyrus's date with TJ, he made his way over while in a state of euphoria. He couldn't wait to tell his friend about the amazing day he had just had. TJ wouldn't be there; they wanted it to be a small gathering of just the people at the wedding. This gave Cyrus the freedom to talk freely about the previous night and get as excited as he wanted.

Cyrus was the last person to arrive at the house, other than Bex and Bowie. Already there were Cece, Andi, Buffy, and Jonah. They all greeted him and welcomed him.

The house was decorated for a get together, as if someone's birthday was being celebrated. There was a "welcome home" banner hanging on the wall, balloons floating all over, and flowers decorating the tables. It was a nice, colorful scene.

When Cyrus neared the kitchen, a pleasant smell wafted over him. Cece was attempting a homemade lasagna with Bolognese. Before Cyrus could ask about it, she shoved past him in haste as the lasagna wasn't assembled yet.

"I have to get this done before Bex and Bowie get here!" she panicked nervously. Making lasagna proved to be a lot more complicated than she ever could have imagined.

"Would you like some help," Cyrus offered pleasantly.

"I'm fine, thank you!" Cece replied rather aggressively. She was rather independent. It was a thing that ran in their family. Bex definitely didn't rely on Cece for much, and Andi didn't really rely on anyone else for much. Anyway, Cece wasn't going to let someone else's help get in the way of her pride; this is something that she wanted to prove she could do herself.

While Cece stayed in the kitchen to work on the lasagna, Andi, Buffy, and Cyrus went into the living room to chat for a while. Jonah decided to stay behind with Cece. For whatever reason, Cece liked Jonah; to most, it was kind of unclear why. To Cece, though, Jonah seemed pure. She enjoyed his spirit. Jonah had made a conscious decision to humor that praise, since it couldn't hurt to be close to his best friend's family.

The other three parted from Cece and Jonah to wait for Bex and Bowie to get home. As soon as they were out of earshot of the kitchen, Cyrus portrayed an explosion of joy.

"I went on a date with TJ yesterday!"

"You mean two days ago?" Buffy asked confused, as it hadn't been long since their awkward double date. "Your excitement is a little odd since it didn't seem to go that well."

"How do you know what his date was like?" Andi asked.

Buffy forgot that she hadn't told Andi about their date. "It was a double date," she clarified, "and Marty decided to order a big heaping plate of awkward," she said humorously.

"No," Cyrus butted back in, "I went on an actual date with just TJ yesterday."

"Oh," Buffy realized, "well, how was that?"

"It was great!"

Andi was curious, and impatient, "Well tell us what happened!" She smiled as she urged Cyrus to spill the details.

Cyrus told them the story of the day. He told them how they met at the swings in the morning and relived their initial meeting. He talked about the wonderful time that he spent volunteering at the gym. He told them how rewarding it was to help kids be able to overcome their obstacles. He said that he would go and volunteer more often, and he even recommended that the other two should volunteer. Cyrus also talked to his friends about his new found knowledge of basketball. He bragged about the skill he discovered he had after beating TJ.

At this point, Buffy, prideful of her own athleticism and competitive on a level that most people could never imagine, had to chime in, "TJ definitely let you win."

"Don't ruin this!" Cyrus looked Buffy dead in the eye and pointed a finger at her, causing her to throw her hands up in defense and stop talking. He was too excited to let anyone cast a shadow on his perfect day.

Cyrus continued the story with how TJ walked him all over town just to throw him off. At the time, Cyrus thought it was really annoying, but in hindsight, he thought it was clever and cute. He nearly finished the story with the bakery and how TJ bought him both muffins.

"That is so sweet," said Buffy lovingly.

"I'm glad you had a good day," said Andi with a similar tone.

"That's not all, though," Cyrus pleaded they keep up with the story.

The two girls looked at Cyrus, intrigued.

"We had our first kiss!" A big cheesy smile spread across Cyrus's face as he couldn't contain himself after such a big milestone.

Smiles also spread across his friends' faces, as they congratulated him. For a couple of minutes, the feeling in the room was one of pure joy, like Cyrus felt on the way over. After having a few minutes to ponder, though, Buffy thought of something that she was concerned might have an impact on this aspect of Cyrus's life.

"Hey, Cyrus," she said calmly as the smiling was fading because the moment was passing, "I don't want to ruin the moment, but have you told your parents?"

Cyrus didn't seem too bothered by this question, but he wasn't exactly excited about it either. He hadn't said a word to his parents about his sexual orientation or his relationship with TJ. They were pretty much the only people left that he was afraid to tell. He didn't want to think about it much after his date with TJ, but it was certainly a thought that crossed his mind. If he was going to pursue a relationship with TJ, he would have to tell them eventually.

"Which ones?" Cyrus asked, trying to deflect the question, being aware of his four parents.

"Any of them?" Buffy made sure that Cyrus couldn't dodge this. She cared too much.

"No," Cyrus responded monotonously, "I just haven't really been thinking about it lately."

"Take your time," Andi chimed in, "You don't need to do it before you're ready."

"Do it when it feels right," Buffy added, trying to make Cyrus extra aware that he couldn't avoid the topic forever, but also letting him know that there was no need to hurry.

"I will," said Cyrus, "I just don't know when I'll be ready," he paused, "I'm scared."

By this point, the mood of conversation had definitely taken a turn downwards. It didn't negate Cyrus's excitement about his date with TJ by any stretch, but it did give him something to think about that he had put off thinking about.

"Cyrus," Buffy began to comfort him, "they're your parents. They are going to love you no matter what."

"I wish I knew that for sure," Cyrus said with doubt creeping in.

"I do," Buffy responded quickly. "I've met your parents. They're great people. Wait until you're ready to tell them, but know that it's going to be okay."

"What if it's not? What if I don't have someone other than my friends to fall back on? I know I can come to you for support, but what about food and shelter? They control everything that I have."

Cyrus was quite obviously concerned about the practicality of the issue as well.

Andi chimed in with an idea, "What if you told my parents?"

"Why?" Cyrus asked.

"They're going to be supportive, I know it," assured Andi, "and I don't think that you're going to have problems with your parents, but if you do then mine will most likely be willing to help in any way they can." Andi gave Cyrus a soft smile in order to reassure him.

Cyrus liked the sound of this idea. He needed to see if he would have a fallback in case things didn't go too well.

While Cyrus thought about it, Buffy chimed in as well, "And it could be sort of a litmus test. Coming out to Bex and Bowie might help you understand a little bit more what it might be like to tell your parents."

Cyrus agreed on that point. He was able to come out to his similarly aged friends just fine; it was adults who he was most nervous about telling. As nervous as Cyrus was about telling Bex and Bowie, he heeded Andi's advice and decided that he would go for it. He would pick the right moment later that day.

When Cyrus agreed, they heard a ding, indicating that the lasagna was ready. They all went back into the kitchen, where they couldn't believe that Jonah had stood there talking to Cece for almost an hour. Jonah couldn't seem to believe it either, as he gave a look over to the other three when they walked back in that said "help me." He liked Cece, but sometimes she could be a lot to handle.

Andi inserted herself to relieve Jonah by turning to Cece and saying, "That lasagna looks delicious!"

"And it smells great!" Cyrus exclaimed.

"Why, thank you," Cece boasted with her hands on her hips in a power pose. Her hands remained on her hips as her expression changed from one of power to one of frustration. "Now where are those two? Late as usual!" Cece's characteristic inability to focus on anything positive for more than a few seconds is what was driving Jonah crazy for the last hour.

Just as Cece said that, the doorbell rang, and she perked up again. "That must be them!" she said with a sudden smile as she ran to the door.

They all exchanged looks with each other in reaction to Cece's sudden shifts. "Well come on, we don't want to keep them waiting!" she nagged as she waved everyone to come closer to the door. They laughed and followed her.

She opened the door to Bex and Bowie, and everyone yelled "Welcome back!"

Bex and Bowie exchanged a puzzled glance.

"Mom, I'm tired," Bex said with a bit of an annoyed laughter. They were appreciative, but this was a bit much. "How many people are here?"

"Oh, just the five of us," said Cece, referring to those who were already in the house.

A second later, the smell from the kitchen wafted out the door and excited Bowie, "Do I smell lasagna?"

Cece nodded with an excitedly smug grin.

Bowie looked over at Bex with a convincingly nagging glance.

"We will take care of everything, and you don't have to lift a finger," Cece enticed Bex.

"Well, I can't pass that up," Bex conceded.

As Cece enjoyed her victory, Bex and Bowie walked in and greeted everyone with hugs and smiles. They all went into the dining room and sat down at the table to eat.

"I worked really hard on this lasagna, so you all better feast on it!" Cece proclaimed. Everyone laughed. "I'm serious!"

Everyone loved the lasagna. There actually wasn't even much left over by the time they finished, even though Cece had made a lot.

During dinner, everyone was curious to hear about the newlyweds' trip the Bahamas and how their honeymoon went. Bex and Bowie talked about how much they enjoyed the honeymoon suite and what luxuries that had been afforded to them that they did not typically get to enjoy. They had great weather the whole time, and they were very glad considering that it was almost hurricane season. The beaches were beautiful, and the water was perfect. It was a great honeymoon.

Cyrus knew that while everyone was eating was not the time to talk to Bex and Bowie. He needed to give it some time so that they could eat, settle in, and relax before he brought a serious topic to their attention. Cyrus acted normally throughout dinner, as if nothing out of the ordinary was going on.

When everyone was finished eating, it was time to clean up.

"Okay, I need Jonah and two more helpers," Cece announced. Jonah didn't know why on earth it had to be him. Andi and Buffy volunteered their help quickly so that they could give Cyrus some time alone with Bex and Bowie.

"I'll keep you two company," Cyrus said happily to Bex and Bowie. He was nervous. It was sooner than he would have liked, but this was his chance.

The three of them that did not stay behind to help clean up walked into the living room. Cyrus made casual conversation.

"Glad your honeymoon went well."

"Thanks," said Bex, "we are too."

"And we really appreciate you guys having this welcome party for us," Bowie added, "it's a nice gesture."

"Our pleasure," Cyrus said gleefully.

"So what's been going on with you?" Bex asked. "Any new developments?"

"Well, actually," Cyrus became a bit more timid, "there was something I wanted to talk to you guys about."

"What's that?" Bowie asked, intriguingly concerned.

Cyrus suddenly got a bit tenser. He hesitated and then sighed to relieve some of that tension. "I'm gay." He waited for a response as Bex and Bowie tried to figure out what to say.

"Alright," Bowie finally said. That's all he said.

"Alright," Cyrus repeated. This conversation was beginning to look a lot like the one he had with Jonah at Bubby Rose's Shiva.

When some of the tension passed, Bex started talking again. "So…?" she prodded.

Cyrus paused. "So what?"

"Is there a guy?" asked Bex excitedly.

"What makes you ask that?" Cyrus laughed.

"Well, I presume that there would be a reason you're telling us this now!" said Bex. "Who is it?"

Cyrus couldn't help but to smile. He was speechless, and he started to turn red.

Bex turned to Bowie, "There's definitely a guy!" She turned back to Cyrus, "Oh come on! Who is it? Please tell!"

Cyrus knew that Bex was just excited. He wasn't scared of telling her anything anymore, so he went ahead and told them. "It's TJ."

Bex gasped in excitement.

"Really? TJ?" Bowie asked intrigued.

"Yep," Cyrus replied, "I was just as surprised as anyone when that happened."

"So when did it happen?" asked Bex with enthusiasm.

Cyrus told them the whole story. He didn't start at the party. He started with when they met and how TJ began as that mean basketball captain who was a jerk to Buffy. He told them how he was able to connect with TJ through the swings, his dyscalculia, and a variety of other ways. He talked about TJ's development as a person from not being very kind to being the sweetest guy that Cyrus knew. He told them how for more than a year now, he had seemed to be able to bring out the best in TJ while TJ brought out the best in him. It was through telling this story that Cyrus realized that his crush on TJ had been developing since the first time they met. There was something empowering about that muffin in the cafeteria; even though he didn't have all the courage to get it for himself, TJ was the one who pushed him to find it.

Cyrus talked about the party where he and TJ officially declared themselves a couple. He talked about the double date. Then he talked about the most recent date, and of course, the kiss.

Bex was all over this story, and she loved every bit of it.

"I'm so happy for you," she said. Cyrus wasn't her kid, but Andi was. And Cyrus and Andi were such good friends that they were barely ever separated. Cyrus was over a lot, and he and Andi had been friends for a long time. Even though Cyrus wasn't Bex's or Bowie's own kid, they cared about him as if he were. They were both extraordinarily happy that Cyrus was embracing who he was as a person and finding happiness in his life. This was a huge weight off Cyrus's shoulders.

The same concern that Buffy had, however, was also present in Bex and Bowie.

Bowie attempted to shift to the topic without being a downer. "Do your parents know?"

"Not yet," Cyrus answered.

Bex joined in on this concern as well. "When do you think you're going to tell them?"

"I don' know," he replied. "I'm nervous. I don't know what to expect."

Without further questioning, Bowie provided a concluding piece of supporting advice, "Well if you need any help, don't hesitate to come to us. Got it?"

"Got it," Cyrus smiled. He was glad that this went so well.

They had good timing, as Andi, Buffy, and Jonah, walked back into the room shortly after their conversation ended. Bex went into the kitchen to talk to her mom, leaving the others in the living room to talk amongst themselves.

"So," Cece started suggestively.

Bex was confused. "What?" she said. She had just walked into the room.

"Cyrus is…" Cece hesitated, "gay?" She said it with a swallow.

Bex became nervous. She knew that her mother was more conservative than she was, and Cyrus didn't need that presence right now; he needed support. Bex realized that Cece must have overheard part of their conversation, and she was right. Cece started to come into the room to say something to Bex, but she overheard Cyrus talking about his date with TJ. She eavesdropped on the conversation up to the point when Cyrus mentioned his kiss with TJ, and then she stopped listening. Bex couldn't lie. There was no coming back from that.

"Yeah, so?" Bex said with a hint of aggravation.

"Don't you think he might be a little young to date?"

"You didn't say that when Buffy announced that she was dating Marty. They're the same age, Mom."

It's true. Buffy had told Bex, Bowie, and Cece that she was dating Marty, and Cece was excited for her. It was weird that now she suddenly used the argument that Cyrus was too young to date. Bex saw right through that.

"Well," Cece continued trying to justify her feelings on the matter, "he's too young to know for sure whether he actually likes boys. I mean come on, that's not natural." She said it as if waving off some ridiculous claim. "It's probably just a phase, anyway."

Bex was very irritated at this point, and she certainly let it show. "It's not a phase, mom. It's him. And if you don't like it, then maybe you should keep that to yourself." Bex added on that last point because she did not want to fight this battle right now. She knew that it was one she definitely wasn't going to win.

"Alright, I won't say anything," Cece half-heartedly promised, "It's his issue, not mine."

Bex rolled her eyes. She couldn't fight this fight right now. Maybe another day, but not right now. She decided that the best thing to do would be to keep Cece's strong opinions away from Cyrus and leave him with the good feeling that she and Bowie had given him.

Cyrus, in the other room and unaware of what was going on in the kitchen, had an overwhelming feeling of joy. The last couple of weeks had been really great for him. He got a boyfriend, he had his first kiss with his boyfriend, and he gained new support from people that were close to him in his life.

A little while later, Jonah left. Bex, Bowie, and Cece all sat in the same room to have a little bit of catching up time while Andi, Buffy, and Cyrus talked some more on their own.

"Did you tell them?" Andi asked Cyrus curiously.

"Yes," Cyrus said with a smile.

"And?" Buffy probed.

"You were right," Cyrus told Andi.

"I told you," Andi was able to manage saying this in an oddly comforting way.

The evening went on, and Cyrus was glad that he had such a great day. The people around him lifted him up in ways for which he was extraordinarily grateful. Although Cece was the first to not be so accepting of the news, Cyrus didn't know this and he didn't need to. Cyrus's self-confidence was high at this point, and nothing could bring that down.

_**Chapter 7 Coming Soon!**_


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: I do not own anything recognizable.**

**Chapter 7**

Jonah couldn't breathe. He tried, but he just couldn't seem to get enough air. He shook. He attempted to retain his stability to be able to stand up straight, but some force pulled down on him hard enough to the point where that wasn't possible. His head hurt. His stomach ached. His heart pounded, banging in his chest. His hands and feet began to fall asleep and go numb, tingling with sharp pricks all over. He began to sweat, drenching himself from head to toe.

He sat down at a convenient nearby bench in the park where he had decided to take a walk that day to collect his thoughts.

Jonah saw Cyrus in the distance.

He started to calm down. "C-, Cy-, Cyrus!" he barely managed to get out through his huffing and puffing.

Cyrus looked over and noticed Jonah looking extremely bloated and distressed. He immediately ran over to see if everything was okay.

Jonah was scared. By the time Cyrus got to him, he took a few heavy deep breaths and was perfectly fine again.

"What's wrong?" Cyrus asked hastily, concerned for his lone friend.

Jonah hesitated to answer, and he held back tears, "I think I just had a heart attack."

"What?" Cyrus interjected. "Okay, stay calm, what do you feel?"

"Nothing now," said Jonah. "A minute ago though, I was short of breath, sweaty, and dizzy. My chest also hurt."

Cyrus calmed his demeanor a bit. "And that's all gone now?"

"Yes."

Cyrus took a deep breath and sighed. "That wasn't a heart attack," he reassured Jonah, "it was a panic attack."

Jonah looked confused. "I literally felt like I was dying. I know I've said that before, but this time it was really bad!"

"Yeah, that can happen," Cyrus tried to stay calm; at this point he just wanted to comfort Jonah. "Sometimes panic attacks and heart attacks can feel similar. If it makes you feel better, we can get you to the hospital."

"Can we just sit here for a few minutes?" Jonah asked, not wanting to move.

"That's fine," replied Cyrus.

"I'm really lucky that you were here. It wasn't until I saw you that it got better."

Jonah was right. He was lucky that Cyrus was there. Cyrus had decided to take a stroll that day, too. He had set aside some time to hang out with TJ, and Andi and Buffy were both busy, but TJ had something come up at home. Cyrus wanted to get out and do something on a nice day, and it was a lucky coincidence that he happened to be in the right place at the right time. The comfort of seeing a friend is what minimized Jonah's symptoms to the point where he was able to recollect himself.

The two of them sat there in silence for a little bit. Cyrus gave Jonah some of the water that he had brought with him on his walk so that he wouldn't get dehydrated. They let Jonah's heart rate get back to normal.

After a few minutes of Jonah's heart rate being steady and normal, Cyrus began trying to comfort him.

"How are you feeling," he asked.

"Better," Jonah said, visibly exhausted.

"How are things going for you right now, bud?" Cyrus turned to his therapeutic friend side. He knew that panic attacks could come out of nowhere, but he also knew that stress could induce them too. He wanted to figure out if there was something heavily weighing on Jonah so that he could help him out with it.

Jonah hesitated. There _was_ something weighing on him. He had made the decision to come to the park to try to decompress and get the thoughts of his friends leaving him off his mind. What ended up happening was that while he was alone, he kept reminding himself that he might end up alone for good. It wasn't good for Jonah to be alone with his own thoughts at this point.

"I don't want to talk about it," Jonah replied softly. He had already tried to talk to Buffy and Andi, and neither of them made him feel better. He had started to lose hope, and at this moment didn't think there was any point in talking to Cyrus.

Of course, that was the wrong answer if he actually didn't want to talk about it. That phrase alerted Cyrus to the fact that something was wrong. He needed to make sure that his friend was going to be okay.

"I can't make you talk about anything," Cyrus said, continuing his therapist shtick, "but you know you can tell me anything?"

Jonah thought again about talking to Cyrus. This time might be different. He had approached Andi and backed away from the conversation. Buffy approached him and noticed something was wrong, but was more assertive and less attentive. Cyrus seemed like he really wanted to listen to what was going through Jonah's mind. Jonah appreciated this greatly, and he decided that he wanted to voice his concerns to Cyrus.

"I've been thinking a lot lately," Jonah began, "worrying, actually," he corrected himself.

"About what?" Cyrus probed.

"Everyone has so much going on. You have TJ, Buffy has Marty, Andi is going to SAVA, and I'm the outsider."

Cyrus immediately felt sympathetic, more so than Buffy did. He understood what it felt like to be an outsider. Cyrus was used to spending his life constantly in fear of everything. It would be a mistake to assume that at some point the fear that he might lose his friends someday had never crossed his mind. He listened attentively to Jonah's worries.

"I'm happy for you," Jonah said as he smiled at Cyrus. He really genuinely was. For some reason, he was able to say this to Cyrus in a more genuine way than he said it to Buffy. "You're my friend, I support you." Jonah sighed and his smile faded. "I'm just afraid of losing you."

"Jonah," Cyrus jumped in confidently and reassuringly, "you can't control what happens to other people. And we may not get to hang out as much." At this remark, Jonah hung his head, but Cyrus quickly continued. "But I'm still you're friend. I'm still always going to support you. I can't speak for Andi or Buffy, but I'm sure they would be on the same page. Because being friends means that even if you're not physically in the same place, you'll always be there for each other."

Jonah began to cheer up a bit. He began to flash a smile, this one more genuine than any smile of his in the past few weeks. "Always?" He asked for confirmation.

"_Always_," Cyrus repeated, looking right into Jonah's eyes.

"Thank you," Jonah said softly as he proceeded to hug Cyrus.

"Any time," Cyrus said with a smile on his face.

After the two of them had their nice moment, the mood lightened a little. Jonah sniffed, as he noticed something he hadn't before. "Are you wearing cologne," he asked Cyrus, intrigued.

"Umm...yeah," Cyrus said beginning to turn a little red, "it's Macadamia." He knew it wasn't about him so he didn't say anything else about it. Jonah just laughed and the two moved on.

Jonah didn't continue his walk in the park. He wanted to get home. He felt much better after his conversation with Cyrus than he felt after his conversations with Andi and Buffy. He dodged the topic with Andi, and Buffy's words didn't really seem to have much of an impact. Cyrus's response, however, was honest. It was true. Cyrus said that they might not get to spend as much time all together as they used to, but he wasn't going to lose the support of any of his friends. It confirmed something he knew that he wasn't happy about, but it reminded him that he isn't going to lose what matters. That's what Jonah had been searching for all along; he wanted someone to tell him the truth and comfort him at the same time. And that is exactly what Cyrus did. He was truly grateful to have Cyrus as a friend. Cyrus had so much unprecedented wisdom that really helped Jonah. He had used it to help others, too, like when he helped TJ deal with his dyscalculia. He even used that wisdom and maturity to help Jonah and TJ reconcile their differences. Jonah was grateful for all of his friends, but he didn't know what he would ever do without Cyrus.

For the next few days, Cyrus checked in with Jonah every now and then to make sure that everything was going alright. Jonah would continually inform Cyrus that he hadn't had any more panic attacks or frightening episodes like the one he had in the park. What was great about Cyrus checking in is that Jonah felt like he could be honest. If he felt down, he knew that he could talk to Cyrus about it without feeling like he was becoming a burden. Sometimes Cyrus would write some wise and inspiring words that would immediately make Jonah feel better; other times, when Cyrus wanted to get Jonah out of a heavy place, he would send some sort of funny emoji with a phrase like "You got this!" which never failed to cheer Jonah up. Jonah knew that Cyrus cared. He knew that Cyrus was devoted to making him feel better. What Jonah didn't know is that Cyrus had tricks up his sleeve.

Cyrus wanted to do something for Jonah that would resolve his worries a little bit more. He understood that actions spoke louder than words. He got to work right away.

Cyrus knocked on TJ's door. When TJ answered, Cyrus immediately said, "I need your help."

TJ let Cyrus in. "What is it?" he asked.

"You know how you organized that date for me?" Cyrus asked in return.

TJ nodded.

"I need to plan something like that on a similar scale for someone else, but not as a date," Cyrus clarified.

"Why?" TJ asked.

Cyrus described the situation with Jonah and explained how he wanted to make Jonah feel better by showing them that his friends care.

"I'm in!" TJ was excited to make a friend feel better. "What do you have in mind?"

Cyrus explained the rough draft version of his plan.

"Do you have anything in mind for something that I can do?" TJ asked.

"I know _exactly_ what you can do."

The two of them looked at each other with that look of mutual understanding of being on the same page. They were both excited to make the plan work.

Later, Cyrus went over to Cece's house. He wanted to involve her in the plan to cheer up Jonah, so he spoke to her. While discussing the details of the plan, some unprecedented subject matter came up.

"Wait," said Cece interrogatively, "you want TJ to be there?"

"Umm, yeah…" replied Cyrus, confused as to why Cece found this shocking. "Why?"

Cece decided to play an interesting game of vagueness. "Well, I don't know. I just thought he didn't know Jonah that well," she said disingenuously.

"Well, not entirely, but we're all friends."

"Oh really? Or is there more to it than that?"

"What do you mean?" Cyrus was confused.

"Do you think maybe you have some personal stake in inviting TJ?"

Cyrus stood puzzled. He hadn't told Cece about his relationship with TJ nor about the fact that he was gay. Did she pick up on it? If so, how? He and TJ hadn't been around her together since the night of the party, and at that point their relationship hadn't even started yet.

"Do you know something?" Cyrus asked, trying to undercut Cece's vagueness.

"Look, I know that you're going through this phase with TJ, but just be careful not to let that get in the way of your other personal relationships," Cece declared in a manner which she believed to be reasoning.

"It's not-" Cyrus began to exclaim, but he stopped. He took a deep breath and collected himself. She knew. Cyrus figured that she either overheard his conversation with Bex and Bowie or that someone told her. And he didn't think that any of his friends would break his confidence. From these words, he knew what Cece's beliefs were. She didn't have to say that she didn't accept homosexuality for him to know that she was passing it off as a phase so that she wouldn't have to face the fact that the real nature of it would make her call her belief system into question. And it stung. He wanted to defend himself, but he didn't want to fight. Even though Cece's views were hurtful, he didn't want to focus on that at the moment. He was focused on Jonah. This conversation was about how they could cheer up Jonah. He got back on track, a bit more visibly irritated. "TJ and Jonah are friends, too. Are you on board with the plan?" he asked to make sure that Cece got back on track.

"Yeah, I'm on board!" Cece agreed as if she hadn't just said anything wrong.

"Alright," Cyrus said. "I'm going to get back to talking with Andi to set it up."

That's exactly what he did. He didn't talk to anybody about what Cece had just said that had almost gotten him heated. He shoved it down because he didn't want the difficult topic to have an intruding presence. He wanted to enjoy what he was doing for Jonah.

Once the plan was together, Cyrus texted Jonah telling him to meet Cyrus at noon on Saturday. He played it off as if he just wanted to hang out. It wasn't a total lie, but it was going to be a bit more than that; Jonah just wasn't aware of it yet.

Jonah met up with Cyrus, and they started talking.

"Hey," Cyrus greeted when he saw Jonah walk up, "How have things been going?"

"Alright. Could be better," Jonah replied honestly.

In order to try to distract Jonah from his own negative thoughts, Cyrus got Jonah to recount the good things that happened to him in the past few days. One thing that Jonah mentioned was that his dad's job was going well, and that he seemed to be happy working it. This was big for Jonah because it meant that his family was on their way to being more financially stable and just happier in general. Another good thing that happened is that he was able to talk to Amber without it being incredibly awkward. He had mentioned this to Cyrus before in their series of texting, but he was glad that things with her were better than they previously were.

Cyrus did a lot of listening on their way to where he was leading Jonah, but not a lot of talking. He was actually texting Andi so that he could time his arrival right.

Cyrus led Jonah to the middle school where they all just finished eighth grade. Surely enough, as they rounded the corner a mass of Jonah's friends stood in a big field, awaiting his arrival. This brought a huge smile to Jonah's face. He saw Marty, who he didn't know very well, but had agreed to come anyway. Amber, with whom he was finally on good terms, stood as her new and improved kind self. Cece, Bex, and Bowie joined the group; they had been rather present in his life because of his presence in Andi's life. TJ stood with a smile on his face, friendlier than he had ever seemed to Jonah before. Buffy stood waving as Jonah arrived.

The person who caught Jonah's eye the most was Andi. She stood at the front of the group wearing her old Space Otter's jersey and holding a Frisbee in hand. Jonah looked slightly up the hill where there were cones set up for a game of ultimate.

"Ready to play?" Andi said to Jonah.

Before Jonah could respond, he turned around back to Cyrus to express his amazement that Cyrus had pulled this off. As he turned, he noticed Cyrus revealing the honorary Space Otters jersey Jonah had given him as it was under his other shirt.

"Wasn't that hot?" Jonah asked in amazement that Cyrus wore two shirts in the summer and it didn't seem to bother him.

"Eh, it was worth it," Cyrus said, causing Jonah to smile.

By Andi's feet was a gym bag with more Space Otters jerseys that she made for everyone who she knew would be there. She distributed them to everyone – except Jonah.

Jonah thought she was one short until he saw TJ reach into his own bag. TJ approached Jonah and pulled another Andi-made Space Otters jersey out of his bag.

"I think you should have this," said TJ. This Space Otters jersey wasn't like the other ones. It had the number 21 on it.

Jonah smiled; he was speechless.

"Did you think I was stopping there?" TJ continued.

Jonah looked at TJ with curiosity. TJ pulled another jersey out of his bag. This one was a solid burgundy jersey with "21" in big bold white letters. It was the baseball jersey that TJ had accidentally taken from Jonah when they played little league together.

"It's yours," TJ said, "not mine."

Jonah had no idea what to say. He managed a "thank you," but every word he tried to utter after that was just meaningless stammering.

"Don't strain yourself," TJ laughed.

Jonah looked back at Cyrus and smiled, impressed by what Cyrus had put together and extremely thankful for it. Cyrus smiled back and shrugged as if to say that it was nothing.

"So are we going to play some Frisbee or what?" Cece chimed in with an impatient excitement.

Jonah turned to Cyrus again, "Too bad you don't have your vest, huh?" Jonah had an entirely light-hearted spirit at this point.

Cyrus smirked, "You underestimate me, Jonah Beck."

Cyrus led Jonah up the hill where his vest with all of the usual accessories hung on a nail that he put into a tree. Jonah was astonished at how prepared Cyrus was for everything.

They proceeded to pick teams. The team captains were Jonah and Andi. Jonah got to pick first. As a thank you for setting the whole thing up, Jonah picked Cyrus first. Andi picked Buffy because of her athleticism. Jonah then picked TJ to be on his team as well. Cece made a big deal about being picked last, even though she knew that that was bound to happen.

"This grandma has more power than you all give me credit for!" she boasted.

Jonah's team consisted of Cyrus, TJ, Marty, and Bex. Andi's team consisted of Buffy, Bowie, Amber, and Cece. The teams couldn't have been more perfect. Cyrus and Jonah got to unite, and for the first time ever, Cyrus got to play with Jonah in ultimate. Jonah and TJ got to rekindle a new and better relationship as teammates. Marty and Buffy got to play against each other and bring out all the competitive banter that was somehow the basis of their relationship. Bex and Bowie got to compete against each other and bring out their own competitive sides. Andi and Amber got to work as a team. Cece was able to impress everyone with her competitiveness and unprecedented athleticism.

Everyone got so caught up in the game that all of their troubles melted away. Cyrus didn't think for a second about what Cece had said to him the other day. None of that mattered now. Everyone was happy.

They kept score, but Jonah didn't pay attention to that. He didn't care who was winning. He had lived the past few weeks dreading that everything that mattered to him would be taken away, but somehow, in just one day, he gained so much more that was meaningful. He was convinced that it wasn't going away. Jonah knew that whatever the score of this game was, he was a winner.

**PSA: Panic attacks can actually feel like heart attacks. If you experience some severe combinations of the symptoms that Jonah experienced in the first paragraph, you might be having either one; the best thing to do is to seek medical attention immediately. Please take care of both your mental and physical health!**

_**Chapter 8 Coming Soon!**_


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: I do not own anything recognizable.**

**Chapter 8**

The rest of the summer went by like a flash of lightning. Everyone's relationships over the summer remained intact, and one could argue that they even got stronger. Marty and Buffy continued going strong with a lot of common ground between them. Marty got to know the rest of the group better, and his meetings with Buffy's friends became less awkward over time. Jonah was able to rekindle the flames of his relationships with his friends. Everyone took solace in the realization that Shadyside Academy of Visual Arts was not a boarding school and that Andi would still be living nearby. TJ and Cyrus spent a lot of time together, and they seemingly couldn't get enough of each other.

Cyrus still hadn't come out to his parents. He hadn't mustered up the courage to do it yet. He took a knock when Cece so vaguely yet obviously dismissed the legitimacy of his relationship with TJ. In fact, she continued to offer a few more passive aggressive comments until she realized nothing was going to change. Cyrus didn't argue either; he changed the topic every time she brought it up, sending the clear message that this was not something he would negotiate with her. He did tell TJ about it, though.

"So she doesn't like me?" TJ had asked, annoyed in the wake of the information from Cyrus.

"I don't think it's that," Cyrus had responded, "she's just not supportive."

This brought TJ down a bit, too. Nobody had talked about this with Andi and Buffy. Cyrus didn't really want to bring that on Andi since it wasn't really her problem to deal with.

It was about time for high school to start, and even though SAVA wasn't a boarding school, it hit hard that Andi would be going to a different school and this group of friends wouldn't get to see each other every day like they used to. Buffy, Cyrus, Jonah, TJ, Amber, and Marty would all be attending the same high school as each other. That tremendously growing group would be able to stick together. They just wouldn't have Andi with them.

The day before school started, all seven of them agreed to meet at The Spoon to be able to hang out once all together before Andi went off on her own way. Thankfully, Amber didn't need to work that day, so they could all sit and talk.

The group had become so big that they needed to push tables together in order for all of them to hang out. The couples sat next to their partners, and Jonah sat in between Andi and Amber.

The mood was bleak.

"Guys, this doesn't have to be sad," Andi said, trying to break the tension.

Buffy, Cyrus, and Jonah were more affected than the other three were. The mood was just kind of contagious.

"You're leaving!" Cyrus reminded Andi.

"I'm not leaving! I'm still going to live where I do right now!" Andi clarified.

"Yeah, but we won't get to see you at school anymore," Buffy said disappointedly.

"It's not like I'm going to forget about you if I don't see you on a daily basis," Andi assured.

"I'm still sad," Cyrus said decidedly.

"Let's focus on the positives," Jonah chimed in, having shifted from his previous thoughts on the matter. "Andi is going to _art school_. This is huge for her!"

"Thank you, Jonah," Andi said with a confident smile.

"We're just going to miss you," Buffy said.

"I'll miss you guys, too," Andi replied.

The other three friends, while feeling empathy for the rest, did not have as close a connection to Andi. They understood, but they desperately wanted the conversation to move forward to something else.

"What types of classes will you be taking?" TJ asked in order not to veer too far from the topic, so as not to seem suspicious.

Andi told them that she would be taking some of the usual general classes that she would have had to take at their high school. She would still have to take English every year, and she would still be subject to the requirement of a four-year math progression. The main difference was that she would only have to take one science class and two history classes; the rest of her classes were based on art. The program consisted of requirements such as an art history class, a philosophy of arts class, private studio lessons, and a variety of unique electives. Some of the electives included sculpting, pottery, landscaping, cinematography, photography, and painting. These are just a few of the wide variety of electives offered by the school.

"That sounds so cool," Marty said in awe of Andi's future program.

"I know, I'm really excited!" Andi replied.

"Did you meet anyone you might get along with?" Amber asked. Andi had been to an orientation the week before where she met some of her classmates.

"I didn't really have a lot of time to make conversation," Andi responded, "the orientation and tour went pretty fast."

The group stayed on the topic of SAVA for quite some time, as they were all genuinely interested in the prospect of a magnet school with different programs. Once Andi ran out of things to say, everyone started talking about their excitement for high school.

"I can't wait to play basketball in high school!" TJ said excitedly. "I need more of a challenge!"

"Me too," Buffy said, "It's too bad I have to leave the girls' team at Jefferson behind, though."

Cyrus shrugged, "Well, look at it this way – you left your legacy at that school."

"You sure did," TJ replied with laughter.

"At least I don't have to worry about this one trying to beat me in track," Marty motioned towards Buffy.

"Oh really?" Buffy replied. "Don't underestimate me. I'm multitalented," she said smugly.

Marty laughed this off in a sort of smug competitive way.

"I just think it's cool to be starting a new chapter," Cyrus brought up.

"I agree," Jonah said, "I can't wait to see what this year is going to bring."

Cyrus and TJ didn't talk about their relationship at all in this discussion. The only friend in the group who they had not told was Amber. They hadn't talked to each other about whether or not they wanted her to know yet, so neither one of them said anything.

They finished lunch as the Good Hair Crew said a heartfelt non-goodbye to Andi – since they never say goodbye. It was more of a 'good luck on your journey and we'll miss you' type message.

Not everyone walked out at the same time. TJ, Cyrus, and Amber were the last three to leave. As they all walked together, Amber began to speak.

"So," she said suggestively, "have you two figured out what you're going to do yet?"

TJ and Cyrus exchanged a puzzled glance.

"What do you mean?" Cyrus asked Amber.

"About your relationship," she clarified, "are you going to be open about it?"

"Wha-," Cyrus couldn't even get out a full word. He hadn't told Amber. TJ hadn't told Amber. He didn't believe any of his friends had spoken to Amber about this particular subject. He was confused as to how Amber knew.

TJ was equally as confused, "How did you know?" he asked, hesitantly pausing between some words.

Amber laughed, "Relax, no one told me. I figured it out on my own."

"But how?" Cyrus asked.

"It wasn't hard," she replied, raising her eyebrow to suggest that it was a pretty obvious observation. "Anyway, have you guys talked about whether you want to be open about it?"

"No," Cyrus said.

"It might be good to talk about it," said Amber.

She was right. She was only trying to help Cyrus like Cyrus had helped her when she wasn't in such a great place in her life. Amber wanted to make sure that Cyrus and TJ were aware of the additional obstacle they might face for being a gay couple. They hadn't talked about it, but each of them knew that they needed to. They had avoided the topic for weeks, but school was about to start the very next day. They couldn't put that off anymore.

"I'm okay with being open," said TJ. Then he asked hopefully, "Are you?"

Cyrus hesitated. "Can we talk about this in private?" He appreciated Amber's push, but he didn't want her heavily involved in business that was his and TJ's to take care of.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to make it awkward," Amber said. She then realized that she wasn't being clear about her thoughts on the matter. "Just so you know, I fully support both of you. I think you make an adorable couple."

TJ and Cyrus both smiled at each other and at Amber at that remark.

"Thanks," said Cyrus with some hesitation, "Could you please not tell anyone until we figure out what we're doing?"

"Of course," Amber assured.

The rest of the day went by. TJ and Cyrus had agreed to hold their conversation about whether or not they would be out at school the next day. Cyrus wanted the evening to collect his thoughts on the matter; the truth was that he wasn't quite sure what he wanted to do.

The school day came on Monday, and it was quite the ride. The six friends, excluding Andi because she was at her first day of art school, dispersed into their separate classes. During lunch, they met up with each other again and talked about how their first day was going. They found it unusual that all of their teachers for the day had already given them homework. It was the first day. They had homework in middle school, but never this soon and never this much. It was the day that they all figured out that high school would rock their world more than they thought it would.

TJ and Cyrus discovered that they had their next period together. They would sit next to each other in English.

Since TJ and Cyrus hadn't yet had the conversation about whether they wanted to be out and proud in their relationship, TJ decided to test the waters. On the way to class, he walked with Cyrus and remained close to him. He reached slightly towards Cyrus's hand. Cyrus pulled his hand away. Cyrus didn't just inch away from TJ's hand; he pulled away with a jerk of intent. The message was clear that Cyrus didn't want to hold TJ's hand in the hallway, and TJ immediately started to wonder. Cyrus had just decided the previous night that he didn't want to be out to the public yet, but the way in which he pulled his hand away had TJ thinking of other more serious scenarios.

_What's wrong with Cyrus?_ TJ thought. _Did I do something wrong?_

During their next period, they had some free time, but Cyrus seemed to avoid TJ. TJ was disappointed about what happened in the hall, but when Cyrus didn't talk to him in English, he got even more upset. He didn't show it; he moved on with the class and struggled to finish the rest of the day.

When school was over that day, TJ found Cyrus walking out quickly, seemingly trying to get away.

"Hey!" TJ yelled out loudly enough so that Cyrus couldn't ignore him. He caught up to Cyrus and pulled him aside where there weren't people standing nearby. "What is going on with you?" he asked, showing his frustration.

Cyrus stood and stared blankly.

"Don't pretend you don't know what I'm talking about. You yanked your hand away from me in the hallway, and you wouldn't talk to me in English today. What's up?"

Cyrus sighed. He wanted to avoid having this conversation with TJ. He knew that TJ wanted to be out in the open, but Cyrus not having come out to his parents yet was enough for him to want to keep his sexual orientation among his close friends. He wasn't sure if TJ would understand.

"Can we talk later?" Cyrus said, "I've had a rough day."

"Why can't we talk now?" TJ demanded.

"It's just not a good time, okay?" Cyrus started to raise his voice.

TJ didn't want to get into a fight with his boyfriend. He decided he would let Cyrus be. "Alright fine," he sighed. "Do you want me to leave you alone for now?"

TJ knew that Cyrus needed space from time to time if he got upset about something, so he would always ask if he was unsure if Cyrus wanted company.

"For right now, yes," Cyrus replied more calmly than before, "I'm sorry; I'm just really tired," he lied.

"Alright." TJ took off to go home, feeling frustrated and upset that Cyrus wouldn't talk to him.

Cyrus sat down on a nearby bench by the school and texted Buffy.

_Have you left yet? _he asked.

Lucky for him, Buffy hadn't left. He asked her to meet him at the bench where he was sitting.

_Sure. I'll be over in just a minute._

Buffy said goodbye to Marty for the day, and she made her way over to Cyrus. When she got there, she saw Cyrus just sitting and staring into space.

"Hey," she said gently, "what's going on?"

Cyrus was visibly shaken. He sighed. "I don't know how to tell TJ that I'm not ready to be out at school yet."

"You're not?" Buffy asked puzzled.

"Well, not exactly. I haven't told my parents about TJ yet, and if I'm out at school, it's only a matter of time before it gets back to them."

Buffy nodded in understanding.

"What do I do?" Cyrus pleaded for advice.

"Whatever you feel is right to do," Buffy said. "You shouldn't be pressured to come out to anyone before you're ready."

"I know," Cyrus said, "but how do I tell TJ that that's how I'm feeling?"

"Just tell him," Buffy answered, "he'll understand."

"But what if he doesn't?" Cyrus asked nervously.

"Then you cross that bridge when you get to it. But I don't think you have anything to worry about."

"Thanks," Cyrus said. "What do you think?" he added.

"About what?"

"About whether I should come out."

Buffy looked directly into Cyrus's eyes. "I think that the people in your life who love you aren't going to think any differently about you, and that you should be able to be yourself."

Cyrus sighed.

"But like I said before," continued Buffy, "you shouldn't have to feel pressured into coming out if you're not ready. That's your decision to make."

"You're right," Cyrus responded after an affirming nod, "I just need to tell TJ how I feel. Thanks, Buffy."

The two of them went on their way after hugging and comforting each other after each of them had a stressful first day. Buffy was alright with Marty, but the sheer amount of stuff that she had to do overwhelmed her.

The next day at lunch, Cyrus pulled TJ aside to talk about their relationship. They found an open area where there weren't a lot of people, and they started to chat.

"I'm sorry about yesterday," Cyrus said so that TJ wouldn't resume his frustration.

"It's fine," TJ forgave Cyrus, "What is going on, though? Is everything okay?" At this point, TJ wasn't so much frustrated as he was concerned. He didn't like seeing Cyrus defensive because that usually meant there was something wrong.

"I was thinking about our relationship," Cyrus started.

This worried TJ, and before Cyrus could continue, he asked, "You don't want to break up, do you?"

"No! Of course not!" Cyrus replied. "What on earth made you think that?"

"You just seemed distant. I was worried you stopped liking me or something."

"That's not possible!" Cyrus assured, to which TJ responded with a relieved half smile. He continued, "I don't think I'm ready to be out."

"Why not?" TJ asked.

"My parents don't know that I'm gay, and I don't want it to get to them before I tell them. And I'm just not ready for them to know yet."

TJ sighed. He paused. Although he was disappointed, he understood. "Okay," he conceded concisely.

"Okay?" Cyrus repeated, as though he was surprised that TJ did not push back against this.

"Yeah, okay," TJ assured.

"You're not disappointed?" Cyrus asked.

"Cyrus," TJ said comfortingly, taking Cyrus's hand since they were in a place where people couldn't see them, "I do want to be open, but I don't want you to be uncomfortable. If you're not ready to come out, then don't. Remember that I care about you and wouldn't force you into anything you're not ready for. It's okay."

Cyrus smiled at TJ's understanding. "Thank you," he said.

When no one was looking, TJ kissed Cyrus, making him turn red and also comforting him.

They went on their way to English when the bell rang. As Cyrus held comfort in the fact that TJ wasn't going to try and force him out of the closet, TJ sat by in a rather solemn state. He understood Cyrus, but he was disappointed that he would not get to be openly cheerful about his relationship with Cyrus. He wanted people to know how much Cyrus meant to him. He also worried that he wouldn't be able to spend as much time with Cyrus like he did in the summer if Cyrus didn't want people to know they were a couple.

As Cyrus felt relief, TJ's concerns lingered.

_**Chapter 9 Coming Soon!**_


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Hey! Sorry for the wait. I've been really busy. I will try to keep up better when I can.**

** I do not own anything recognizable.**

**Chapter 9**

TJ sat a few seats away from Cyrus during English. It was the fourth week of school, and Cyrus still hadn't said anything to his parents, causing the two not to be able to be open about their relationship in public. TJ sat and watched Cyrus going about his own business from what seemed to him to be worlds away.

TJ had spoken to Cyrus a few times, but he didn't want to push too much. He worked hard to hold onto the understanding that if he was in Cyrus's position, he wouldn't want anyone pressuring him. The longer Cyrus waited, though, the less TJ felt like their relationship was legitimate. Of course he knew it wasn't illegitimate – they both really liked each other and wanted to stay with each other – TJ just felt that not being able to share his happiness with others took some of its significance away.

TJ was thankful that he still got to hang out with Cyrus a lot and go on a few dates, despite Cyrus wanting to be careful in public.

It was Friday, and he had planned to meet Cyrus and Jonah after school to play some video games. The three of them gathered outside the school and went to Jonah's house, as his parents had to work late that day.

They all met up with all of their usual cheer. TJ did not appear too down about Cyrus not wanting to be out. In fact, he was about to go hang out with just people who already knew, so he wouldn't have to hide anything or keep his relationship a secret.

For most of their gathering, they enjoyed themselves. As usual, they laughed with each other, played some games, and just had a good time. Unfortunately, it is difficult to maintain that atmosphere when someone has something on their mind that they just can't escape. The elephant in the room was just too great.

At one point, TJ looked over at Cyrus and saw Cyrus laughing. Whenever Cyrus laughed, TJ lit up as well, as it was one of those things about Cyrus he found to be adorable and charming. Knowing he was with Cyrus in those moments gave him that warm feeling inside for which he always yearned. This time, however, that feeling did not last. After that warm euphoria passed, he felt sadness. The smile on his face was wiped away as he thought about how he couldn't express his feelings for Cyrus other than to a small group of people. He felt held back; he felt that his and Cyrus's relationship was held back. TJ thought about how Cyrus's caution in public could sometimes make him feel more distant from Cyrus.

While Jonah and Cyrus continued to have a good time, TJ buried his emotions until it was about time for him to leave.

As TJ gathered his things, he turned to Cyrus, "Have you told them yet?" he asked in an anticipatory tone, referring to Cyrus's parents.

"No," Cyrus responded with a sigh. Although TJ was not deliberately trying to pressure Cyrus, Cyrus felt the pressure. He worried about TJ's feelings on the matter, but his own feelings were that he just simply wasn't ready.

"Do you have any idea when you might?" TJ asked.

"I don't know."

"Well, just let me know when you do."

The two of them got to the point where all of their conversations on the matter pretty much went the same. TJ would ask, Cyrus would say it hasn't happened and didn't know when it would, and TJ would concede. Neither wanted to talk about the topic for too long because it weighed on both of them. TJ was frustrated, and while Cyrus wanted to come out, he needed more time.

Since TJ was in a hurry to get home, Cyrus did not walk with him. They hugged goodbye.

"Hey Cyrus, can you stay and talk for a little bit?" Jonah asked.

"About what?' Cyrus asked curiously.

Jonah was hesitant to ask about the topic, and he wasn't quite sure how to do it. He wanted to learn, though, so he continued.

"About being gay," Jonah answered.

Cyrus paused and made a perplexed expression. "What do you want to know?" he asked skeptically.

"I just want to know what you're going through," Jonah said, not quite sure of his answer, "or how that might impact your life in a way that I might not understand."

Piqued by Jonah's curiosity, Cyrus agreed to stay and answer questions that Jonah had. "Ask your questions, then. I'll answer them."

The two of them sat down for their conversation.

"Why is coming out such a big deal?" Jonah asked innocently. "TJ seems to be upset that you aren't doing it, and I just don't get why it has to be this big thing." He recalled when Cyrus came out to him and his response was simply "ok, cool." He truly didn't understand why anyone would respond any other way.

Cyrus gave a sort of hopeless chuckle and said, "I don't know. It seems kind of messed up, doesn't it?"

Cyrus's admission of this was intriguing to Jonah.

"Then why don't you just come out to your parents?" Jonah asked.

"Because the world doesn't work that way."

"Well, shouldn't it?"

"I think it should, but it doesn't."

Jonah was perplexed, and although none of this really applied to him, he seemed defeated by the reality of Cyrus's situation.

"I know it's not all of who you are," Jonah said, "but because it's something we don't talk about much, what's your story?"

Jonah was interested. More than anything else, he just wanted to learn. He wanted to know what Cyrus felt when he came out. He was curious about how that process was for Cyrus. They were close friends, and while Cyrus was a very empathetic person and could usually read people well enough to help them out with just about everything, this was something that was really difficult for Jonah to understand because he had never been in that position.

Before Cyrus could respond, he took several moments to think. He knew he was entering dangerous territory because of the person to whom he was talking. He filtered some thoughts out, and he began to give the redacted version of the story.

"Do you remember Iris?" Cyrus asked

"How could I not?" Jonah replied with laughter. "We went to the carnival, and you threw up in your shoe after riding the carousel!"

The memory made Cyrus cringe and laugh at the same time. "Yes, that was quite a day," he said in some not-so-pleasurable reminiscence. "Anyway, that was about the time I figured out I was gay."

"I guess that explains why you two weren't together very much."

"Yeah." Cyrus skipped several parts of the story to say, "I talked to Buffy about it."

"Of all people, you went to _Buffy_ first?" Jonah asked in horrified amazement. "She probably would have scared me the most," he acknowledged her toughness.

"We've been friends forever," Cyrus responded, dismissing Jonah's fear of his best friend. "She was really supportive. I pretty much leaned on her more than anyone else while I tried to figure this out."

"Well that's good."

"Yeah. I ended up figuring out that I should break up with Iris because it just didn't feel right to be with her," Cyrus explained. "In fact, I even told Buffy that the second time Iris and I kissed, I felt like I'd rather be watching a violent reptile documentary."

Jonah wasn't sure whether to laugh or be a little bit frightened.

"It took a while for me to get to tell Andi. In fact, Buffy had pushed me to do it, and when I finally did, she wasn't sure it was the right time. I waited so long that she was concerned I was about to say something I wasn't ready to say."

"When did you finally tell her?"

"At my bar mitzvah," Cyrus revealed.

"I guess that makes sense, since it was after you met TJ," Jonah guessed.

"Actually, I didn't have a crush on TJ yet," Cyrus clarified, holding back from saying that there was another guy he liked at the time.

"Eventful day," Jonah remarked.

"It certainly was," Cyrus confirmed. "And then you were the next person I told."

"Wow, a lot of time passed between each time you told someone."

"Yeah. This summer was big because so many more people know. Now I'm worried about my parents."

"Can I ask something else?" Jonah asked as if this wasn't the whole point of this conversation.

"Sure."

"Why did you decide to tell me when you did? At your grandmother's Shiva? Why was that the right time?"

Cyrus began to miss Bubby Rose again. "I was sitting and talking to Andi about how I was afraid to tell Bubby Rose. I regretted not telling her before it was too late. I still do, actually. Anyway, you came up. I asked them how I was supposed to tell you. They told me just to do it, so I did."

"Wait," Jonah said, "were you afraid to tell me?"

"Very," Cyrus responded.

"Why?"

"Several reasons, I guess. I hadn't been as close to you as long as I had been to Andi and Buffy. They made it really easy on me, and I wasn't sure what you were going to say."

"Did I say the right thing?" Jonah asked, seeming to forget how the tension in that moment went away pretty much immediately after Cyrus said it.

"It was the best response I could have hoped for," Cyrus said.

"Why did you just bring it up out of nowhere?" Jonah said after sitting for another few seconds to reflect on whatever questions he had and his recollections of the events that took place.

"Well, I actually tried to find you right after I talked to Andi and Buffy so that I wouldn't lose the courage they had given me," Cyrus explained, "but when I did find you, it wasn't a good time."

Jonah had a moment of realization. "I was having a panic attack," he recounted, "You came to find me so that you could tell me, but you completely dropped that to help me."

"Yep," Cyrus confirmed.

"You said that you forgot why you came for me, but you didn't. You just didn't want to seem like you were making the moment about you," Jonah's epiphany made him appreciate Cyrus as a friend even more than he had before. "You really are a good friend."

"It was nothing," Cyrus said. "It wouldn't have been natural anyway."

Every time Cyrus helped him with something, Jonah felt bad because he thought he could never be as good a friend as Cyrus was. Of course this wasn't true – they were both pure authentic people with calming presences – but this realization made Jonah feel even more as though he could be a better friend to just about everyone, especially Cyrus.

They sat for a minute, and they reflected on that day. To Cyrus's shock, however, Jonah was not done asking questions.

"If you don't mind me asking," Jonah started cautiously, "how did you know you were gay?"

The question stunned Cyrus. This was the one question that he did not want to answer to Jonah. It was the one thing that he hoped Jonah wouldn't ask.

"Well, I didn't really feel all that great about dating Iris," he eased into his answer.

"Yeah?" Jonah prodded.

Cyrus knew that if he was going to be friends with Jonah, he wouldn't be able to hide the truth from him forever. "In fact," he paused, "there was a guy I had a crush on; it was my first crush."

"Oh, really? Who?" Jonah asked, unsuspecting and intrigued.

Cyrus hesitated. He started to shake again. He was nervous that this revelation could ruin their friendship, and he didn't want that. He was visibly shaken, and he hesitated long enough so that Jonah had to recapture his attention.

"Cyrus?" he questioned, beginning to get concerned.

"Jonah," Cyrus sighed, "there's a reason I told Buffy first and waited a long time to tell Andi."

Jonah looked puzzled. Cyrus didn't say another word. Jonah thought about what reason that could possibly be. Slowly, he began to come to the realization of what Cyrus was talking about. He looked up at Cyrus slowly, this time seeing the fear in Cyrus's eyes. He was amazed and didn't say a word. He just continued to look directly at Cyrus's face in complete shock about this discovery.

"I didn't want to tell you because I didn't want to ruin my friendship with you or Andi," Cyrus explained through his fearfully croaking voice, "and then we became such good friends that I thought that telling you that would be a disaster for our friendship."

"How long did you have that crush?" Jonah asked, curious of the answer.

"Until shortly before I realized that I liked TJ," Cyrus replied, "and I don't think that was a coincidence."

Jonah didn't say anything, which actually prompted Cyrus to talk more so that he could clear up anything that may have been a misunderstanding.

"I want to be your friend," Cyrus said. "I never wanted this to get in the way of that. That's why I didn't tell you. It would have been pointless."

He paused.

"But you wanted to know how I knew. That's how. That's the truth."

Jonah saw his friend being torn between honesty and the ability to let go of the past. He appreciated that Cyrus understood that there wasn't any reason to tell him about his crush, but hated that Cyrus had to hang onto that for so long.

"Cyrus," he said comfortingly, "you are a great friend. I'd be an idiot to give something like our friendship up because of something that happened in the past." He paused and then said with a laugh, "Especially when it's flattering."

This made Cyrus laugh, too. "So it doesn't change anything?" Cyrus sought assurance.

"Of course not," Jonah said as though it should have been obvious. "Being friends means that you'll always be there for each other."

Cyrus looked up at Jonah with a small grin. "Always?"

"_Always_."

The two of them took a few minutes to sit and let their emotions through after their unprecedented heart-to-heart. Once they were able to gather themselves, Cyrus took off and went home. He had had quite the emotional week. It wasn't over, either.

Andi was busy at art school because she had a lot of projects, so she wasn't around all that often. She had been able to find a gap in her schedule over the weekend, so she wanted to meet Buffy and Cyrus at The Spoon on Saturday. Jonah couldn't make it then; although he was disappointed, he knew that he would have other opportunities to hang out with Andi. Besides, at The Spoon on Saturday, it would just be the original Good Hair Crew.

Cyrus got a good night's sleep Friday night after meeting with Jonah and TJ, and he went to The Spoon early in the afternoon to meet Andi and Buffy. When he arrived, Buffy was already there, but Andi was not. She sat at a table facing the door, and Cyrus sat down across from her with his back turned to the door.

"How are you?" she asked.

"Good," Cyrus responded. "Is Andi on her way?"

Right on cue, Andi walked in the door.

"ANDI!" they both shouted, as they didn't get to see each other very often. They both stood up to greet her with a hug.

She sat down next to Buffy.

They did quite a bit of catching up. Andi talked about how she was enjoying SAVA a lot. It was a lot of work to keep up with everything, but she found it to be a very rewarding program. She absolutely loved her projects, even though they took up all of her time. Buffy and Cyrus shared her excitement and enthusiasm for the program.

"What are your teachers like?" Cyrus asked excitedly, "I bet they're super weird!"

"They're pretty weird actually," Andi confirmed, "They remind me of you."

Buffy laughed.

"I'll take that as a compliment," Cyrus said smugly.

"How are your classmates?" Buffy asked curiously. "Have you made any new friends?"

"They're such cool people. There's this one girl I talk to all the time in my art history class," Andi said. "But I missed you guys so much! No one could ever replace you!"

"We miss you, too," Buffy assured Andi.

Cyrus told Andi about his struggles with TJ and how TJ was pushing him to come out to his parents so that they could be open as a couple in public.

"You haven't done that yet?" Andi asked understandingly.

"Why does everyone seem so shocked by that?" Cyrus defended.

"It's alright. You'll know when you're ready," Andi assured.

"I know that TJ doesn't want to pressure me," said Cyrus, "but he is. I just wish he could be more patient."

"It'll be alright," said Andi. "You two really seemed to hit it off this summer."

They also caught up with Buffy and got updates on her relationship with Marty.

"That's going well," she said. "We don't hang out as much as we did in the summer because of school and everything, but we're really good."

Buffy had also joined the girls' basketball team. She decided not to challenge Marty in track; they decided that because of how competitive they both were, it would be better if they each had their own thing.

A little ways through lunch, Cyrus brought up the topic that was freshest on his mind.

"I had an interesting conversation with Jonah last night," he said in a way to suggest that he was keeping his friends in suspense about the conversation's contents.

"About what?" Andi asked.

"He asked how I found out that I was gay," he said as he casually sipped through his straw.

Andi and Buffy looked at each other with a look of mutual understanding that this conversation could go somewhere bad, so they intended to proceed with caution.

"What did you tell him?" Buffy asked with hesitancy.

"The truth," Cyrus responded swiftly.

"I thought you said you would never tell him how you felt," Buffy recalled.

"I also said that when it comes to Jonah Beck, I've been wrong about everything," Cyrus beat Buffy at this memory game that she was playing. "And that still stands to be true."

"How did he take it?" Andi questioned.

"He said that it didn't change anything," Cyrus's tone mellowed out now that the suspense was over. "He doesn't want something that happened in the past to affect our friendship now, so I don't think it's going to be an issue."

"Well that's good," Buffy said, "I'm glad you don't have to hold onto that anymore."

"Believe me, me too," Cyrus said. "We had a longer conversation. He wanted to learn more about my coming out."

"What did you talk about?" asked Andi.

"I told him about what my thoughts were about not having told Bubby Rose before she passed. I told him that I told you at my bar mitzvah and Buffy well before that."

Cyrus filled in some of the details that Andi and Buffy didn't have about his coming out to them and how he found Jonah in the midst of a panic attack.

"I even told him about how I felt with Iris. What a time, huh?"

The three of them all laughed.

"Can you believe I had a crush on _Jonah Beck_?" Cyrus said, continuing to laugh.

"_WHAT?!" _a new voice in the conversation rang out.

Andi's and Buffy's expressions dropped as they stared at the door. Cyrus's laughter halted, as he wondered what was going on. He looked back to where they were staring.

They all stared at TJ, who stood there motionless, stunned by what he had just heard.

_**Chapter 10 Coming Soon!**_


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: I do not own anything recognizable.**

**Chapter 10**

The Saturday afternoon after TJ had spent some time with Cyrus and Jonah, he decided that he wanted to treat himself to lunch at The Spoon. It was an emotionally taxing time for TJ. He felt like he deserved something nice for himself.

On his walk over to The Spoon, TJ was deep in thought. He still wasn't sure how to handle the fact that his boyfriend didn't want to come out at a time when he wanted to free himself and become an open book. Cyrus brought out the best in TJ, and in a way, their relationship _was_ some of the best of TJ. TJ had such a reputation of being the mean kid that he wanted more than anything else in the world to have a chance to publicly show his compassionate nature that was hidden deep inside him for so long. He didn't know how to do that if not for Cyrus.

As TJ opened the door and walked into The Spoon, he was stunned at what he heard.

"_WHAT?!_" he shouted.

He overheard Cyrus saying something about having a crush on Jonah. He couldn't make out the exact words that were said, but this was something he never expected to hear.

TJ stood motionless as he stared at the Good Hair Crew and Cyrus, whose face showed nothing but fear. Hidden beneath his hard outer shell of rage and fury, TJ was an emotional wreck.

_This is about the last thing I need right now_, he thought to himself. Did Cyrus actually not like him? Was he part of Cyrus's plan to make Jonah jealous? Was he being used? Is that why Cyrus didn't want to come out?

Of course, none of that was even remotely true. But TJ was already so frustrated. The timing of everything and the fact that he misheard Cyrus was enough to make him jump to totally irrational conclusions.

"Cyrus," TJ muttered through a seething breath, "can I talk to you outside for a minute?"

Cyrus looked at Andi and Buffy with fear spread across his entire expression. They looked back at him, a bit concerned for his safety at this point. They didn't want to see either of them get hurt, but they knew that TJ and Cyrus needed to talk to each other to clear things up. Andi and Buffy nodded at Cyrus as a sort of reassuring move to let him know that they would be keeping an eye on the situation from inside. Hesitantly, Cyrus got up and walked towards the door where TJ was standing. The two of them walked outside, out of earshot from their friends and the rest of the people in the restaurant.

"I can explain-" Cyrus frantically began as soon as they got outside.

"You like Jonah?" TJ angrily interrupted.

At this point it was clear to Cyrus that TJ had misheard.

"What? No!" Cyrus clarified, "I used to, but now I like you!"

Unfortunately for both of them, TJ was now in an emotional state where logic and reasoning wasn't going to get to him. He had convinced himself of the thing that he feared.

"I guess it makes sense now," TJ thought he realized, "that game of ultimate was because you still have feelings for him. You wanted to hang out with both of us yesterday because you can't choose between us."

Cyrus just stood there in shock at the fact that this was happening. He didn't know that TJ could get so jealous, but what perturbed him even more was the fact that he just flat out wouldn't listen. How could TJ even begin to think something like that?

"Is that why you didn't want to come out?" TJ suddenly asked accusingly, "In case things didn't work out with me and you ended up with Jonah so that you could come out then?"

"TJ-" Cyrus began to plead through what was on the verge of becoming a steady stream of tears.

TJ interrupted, "Have you thought about how I feel right now? I can't tell anyone who I am! You know, if you're not going to be considerate enough to acknowledge the fact that we're together, maybe you could at least be considerate enough not to bring up your apparent other crushes!"

"TJ, I-" was all Cyrus could get out. At this point, he was full on crying. He didn't know what to say. TJ wasn't thinking rationally. There was nothing that Cyrus could say in this moment to resolve the conflict. He didn't know what to do. His boyfriend for whom he cared so much and never wanted to lose was somehow convinced that Cyrus didn't like him in the same way anymore. Rational thought flew out the window because of how frustrated TJ was about multiple things, and there was no possible way to have a productive conversation. Cyrus hadn't even done anything. This was one of the most painful things he had felt in his life.

TJ was angry, and he had made up his mind that he was going to stay that way. "You know what? I can't do this," he said, "I just need to get away right now." Without so much as a cordial goodbye, TJ walked away, leaving Cyrus with wet, red eyes and a fracturing heart.

Cyrus just stood there. He couldn't believe what had just happened. He wasn't even sure what just happened. They hadn't technically broken up; TJ just left without any sort of closure. What was he supposed to make of that?

When Cyrus found himself able to move again after being paralyzed with emotional shock for a few moments, he wiped his tears and very slowly walked back into The Spoon to sit at the table with Andi and Buffy who had been watching but not listening to the whole thing. Even though they couldn't hear what was going on, they could see TJ yelling and Cyrus tearing up. Cyrus sat down and didn't say a word; he just kind of stared into space with wide eyes.

"Are you okay?" Buffy asked cautiously.

Cyrus, without breaking his gaze at whatever object at which he was staring from across the room, shook his head slowly. Andi and Buffy looked at each other. They each took one of Cyrus's hands from across the table. At that moment, Cyrus completely broke down. Waterfalls came out of his eyes, and his sobs were uncomfortably and overwhelmingly depressing. His head hung over the table. Andi and Buffy just sat there trying to comfort him, pretty much to no avail.

When Cyrus's sobbing died down and he pretty much cried himself out, Andi gently asked "What happened?"

The only response Cyrus could give to that question was, "I don't know."

Andi being back at this point was inconsequential. This was not a catching up anymore. Priority number one was caring for Cyrus. She and Buffy knew that Cyrus needed to go home, lie down, rest, and feel whatever he was feeling. They walked him home together, up to his front door.

"Text me if you need to talk, okay?" Buffy said.

Cyrus nodded.

After Andi and Buffy left, Cyrus went straight up to his room, away from his parents, and let everything out once again. There was already so much pressure for him to come out that it stressed him out tremendously. Having an irrational feud with his boyfriend was detrimental to Cyrus's mental state at this point in time. He slept the rest of the day, and he didn't wake up until the next morning.

When Cyrus woke up on Sunday morning, he didn't really feel any better than he did when he laid down in bed the night before. He was upset that he and TJ had a huge fight. Because it was a new day, he decided to try and reach out to TJ. He thought that maybe since TJ had a chance to sleep on it, he could think a little bit more clearly and maybe they could have a productive conversation. He decided to text TJ:

_Hey, can we talk please?_

He didn't get a response right away; he didn't know if TJ was asleep, so he tried to get it off of his mind.

Cyrus did the things that he needed to do that day. He did his chores, and he completed all of his homework. He didn't have plans to hang out with any of his friends, so he watched some TV, played some video games, and read a little bit after he got done with all of his work.

By the end of the day, TJ still hadn't gotten back to Cyrus. Cyrus decided to text him again:

_Please don't be mad. I really want to talk to you_.

At this time, Cyrus didn't really have anything that he could do to get TJ off his mind. It was around 9:00 p.m., and all of Cyrus's work was done. This was the time he always used to wind down before going to sleep. It was hard for Cyrus to fall asleep, though. He stayed up, waiting for TJ's response. After about three hours, around midnight, Cyrus fell asleep on his own just out of pure exhaustion. He stayed up awaiting a potential response from TJ that never came.

A few minutes after Cyrus woke up Monday morning to get ready for school, he got a text notification. He was hopeful. It was from Buffy.

_How are you holding up?_ It read.

Cyrus didn't respond. He was too disappointed that he still hadn't heard anything from TJ. He was terrified that TJ could still be mad.

Cyrus knew that he would get to see TJ in his English class, but at this point, he wasn't quite sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. On the one hand, it meant that he would at least get to see his boyfriend, who he adored and missed after just a couple of days following a fallout. On the other hand, Cyrus was dreading an interaction with TJ that day; based on the fact that TJ hadn't answered any of his texts in the past 24 hours, he didn't know if TJ would even want to talk to him.

With an apprehensive attitude going into the day, Cyrus got ready for school, ate breakfast, and left his house.

Before lunch, Cyrus couldn't focus on any of his class material. He was too busy worrying about how his encounter with TJ would go later on that day. He wondered if there was a possibility that TJ would text him during classes, but that didn't happen. He knew it was a longshot.

At lunch, Cyrus didn't bother to find any of his friends. Buffy, however, did manage to find him.

"Hey," she said with a pitied tone from the outset, "What's going on? I tried to text you this morning, and the fact that you didn't reply worried me."

Cyrus gratefully took up the opportunity to talk to someone, since he hadn't spoken to anyone since Saturday. He didn't even really talk to his parents over the weekend unless they asked him to do something. He was just too emotionally drained.

"TJ won't answer any of my texts," he said hopelessly.

Buffy nodded to show that she was listening.

"I don't get it," Cyrus continued, sounding frustrated, "what did I do wrong?"

"You didn't do anything wrong," Buffy assured him. "He's just upset for some reason."

"He thinks that I still have feelings for Jonah, and he's jealous," Cyrus remembered that Buffy couldn't hear their conversation.

"Wow," Buffy said, kind of taken aback, "I'm not really sure what to say to that."

"What do I do?" Cyrus pleaded.

"I think you're just going to have to see what happens," Buffy conceded to the situation. Seeing Cyrus on the verge of tears again, she continued, "I hate to say it because I hate seeing you like this, but I'm not really sure there's much you can do right now."

Cyrus wanted to break down again, but he was better at keeping himself together this time. He was about to walk into a class that he shared with TJ, and he couldn't let TJ see him like that. He needed to stay strong and hold himself up through this.

When he went to English, Cyrus hoped that TJ would approach him and talk to him. He thought for sure that there was no way TJ could be in the same room as him and not talk to him, whether it was good or bad. Cyrus just wanted TJ to say anything to him. On the contrary, TJ made the conscious decision to sit on the opposite side of the room as Cyrus. The two of them did not communicate in any way throughout the whole period from beginning to end; they didn't even make eye contact. Cyrus just kept looking over and longing to be able to talk to his boyfriend.

The rest of the week went the same way. TJ still didn't answer any of Cyrus's texts, and he didn't even acknowledge Cyrus's existence that week. Buffy kept asking Cyrus for updates, and every time, Cyrus was disappointed to say that there were none. Nothing changed. TJ was still giving him the silent treatment. And it hurt. A lot. The whole week was Cyrus trying to keep it together. He was also avoiding Jonah, so as not to upset TJ even more. Poor Jonah had no idea what was going on, as Cyrus just seemed so distant. He had asked Buffy what was going on, but Buffy didn't say anything because she was unsure if telling Jonah the details had the potential to make things even worse.

Cyrus also didn't really have a chance to talk to Andi. She was at a different school all week, and she was super busy. Over the weekend, her class was going to an art gallery as a method to learn more about certain artistic styles. Cyrus just didn't want to bother her with what was going on in his life.

It was clear that Buffy didn't know what to do, and Cyrus felt like he had run out of people to talk to. It's not like he could just talk to his parents about the whole situation; they were therapists and he confided in them for a lot, but he still wasn't ready to come out to them.

On Saturday afternoon while Andi was away, Cyrus decided to visit Bex and Bowie. He knocked on their door. When Bowie answered, he saw Cyrus standing there with tears in his eyes, speechless. Without hesitation, Bowie invited Cyrus inside. Cyrus took a seat on the couch, still without saying anything, and Bowie went to get Bex, who was in the other room.

"What's going on?" Bex asked perplexed and worried as she walked into the living room. She saw Cyrus on the couch and sat down next to him. "What's wrong?"

He explained the whole situation to them. He told them about how he had a crush on Jonah while he and Andi were kind of a thing. He talked about Iris. He gave them the backstory on how he came out to all of his friends and what made it so nerve-wracking at some points. He told them what was going on with TJ and said that it really hurt him that he was unable to have a productive conversation to try to resolve the conflict. He poured his heart out to them. He could no longer hold back his tears when he said that they were the only people he felt like he could talk to at this point. He didn't want to get Jonah involved in this situation that wasn't his fault; he obviously couldn't rely on TJ to give him advice; Buffy didn't know what to do; and he wouldn't be able to tell his parents what was going on without coming out to them, which he wasn't ready to do yet.

Unfortunately for Cyrus, Bex and Bowie were also stumped. They didn't know what to tell him. They saw how he was feeling and really wanted to make him feel better somehow, but they had no earthly idea how to do that. They couldn't just magically get TJ to talk to him again. Naturally, Bex and Bowie gave the parental speech.

"Cyrus," Bex started, "you are a wonderful kid. TJ is very lucky to have you. I don't think he's just going to ditch you. You two are going through a rough patch. That kind of thing happens all the time in relationships. I can't tell you for sure whether it's going to work out in the end. Sometimes it does, and sometimes it doesn't. Either way, I need you to know that you're going to be okay."

This sort of made Cyrus feel better, but it also sort of didn't. He was glad that someone told him he was going to be okay. He certainly didn't feel okay all week. But he also knew that Bex was getting around saying "I just don't know what advice to give you." Nobody seemed to know what to do in his situation. He wanted more than anything just to figure it out.

"What should I do?" Cyrus asked, hoping that there might still be a chance that one of them could actually give him concrete advice.

"Wait it out, man," Bowie said sympathetically, "I think this might be out of your control at the moment."

Cyrus was upset by this take, but it is the same one Buffy had already given him, so it didn't hit quite as hard. Cyrus knew that that is what he had to do. He needed to let TJ take the space that he needed, however long that took. And he knew that that sure wasn't going to be easy.

_**Chapter 11 Coming Soon!**_

**AN: I think that this is a good time to say that I am definitely going somewhere. I have a plan for this story, so please keep reading to see where it goes. I know that this was a heavy one, but I think all good stories have conflict. This is not the end!**


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: I do not own anything recognizable.**

**Chapter 11**

Cyrus's talk with Bex and Bowie sure left a lot to be desired. There was only so much they could do for him, and Cyrus understood that. Although they cared, they weren't exactly as adept at consoling him as some of his friends were.

He decided that once Andi was back from her trip at the museum, he would talk to her about his situation. He also knew that she would worry since they hadn't actually spoken to each other since she and Buffy walked him home after the emotional encounter with TJ at The Spoon. He called her up on the phone.

"Hey!" she answered, glad to hear from her friend, "How have you been doing?"

Cyrus told her what was going on. He explained everything to the extent that Andi could understand the situation as much as Buffy. Once again, his biggest point was about how TJ hadn't been talking to him and that it was freaking him out. Even through the weekend, TJ hadn't reached out.

"He hasn't said anything to you?" Andi asked for clarification.

"Not a word," Cyrus responded disappointedly.

"I'm sorry," Andi said, as she lacked helpful advice and the words that might actually make Cyrus feel better.

In a desperate reach for normalcy, Cyrus decided he just wanted to have a regular conversation with Andi. He asked her about her museum trip, which she seemed to have greatly enjoyed. She talked on about her fascination with different styles of art and the history that influenced them. She had gone to art school based on her crafting, but even in a few weeks, she developed such a deeper and larger appreciation for so many different kinds of art.

Cyrus was glad to be able to have a normal conversation for once. Of course, his situation wasn't great, and it couldn't really escape his mind, but he wanted to remain a good friend to others despite the fact that he was going through hardship. He was happy for Andi, truly.

They talked for a little bit about things other than TJ, in an attempt to get TJ off Cyrus's mind. He couldn't shake the thought, but at least their conversation provided a temporary distraction.

"I have to go," Andi said after a while, "I'm visiting Cece today. Let me know if you need anything. Just hang in there."

Of course, this comment reminded Cyrus of his predicament with TJ, but he was grateful that Andi would be there for him as a friend.

They got off the phone.

Andi prepared to go to Cece's house. She had been so busy that she hadn't been able to interact with Cece very often. They both mutually decided that it was about time for a check-in.

Andi left, and when she got to Cece's house, Cece was elated. She was excited to see the granddaughter that she had raised as a daughter. It had been weeks since they met in person because Andi had so many projects and trips.

"How is art school?" Cece asked excitedly.

"It's been good," Andi laughed cheerfully in response.

"Did you meet any new friends? Are you getting good grades? How are your teachers? Oh! When is your first art show?"

Andi expected to be bombarded with questions, but Cece's extreme enthusiasm was quite a bit much for her to handle. "Woah, slow down," she laughed.

"Ok, let's start with the first question. Did you meet any new friends?"

"Yeah," Andi replied a little calmer, "I like the people in my classes. They're really cool and really into what they're doing. They really complete the experience of being there." Andi took a moment to reflect. "I do miss my old friends, though. I don't get to see them as much."

"Well, you all are so close. Of course you miss them!" Cece responded. "I'm sure they miss you too." Without delving further into that topic, Cece decided that it was time for the next question. "How about your grades?"

"They're good," Andi said, "I have A's in all of my classes except for art history. I have a B in that."

Cece gave Andi a scowl, "You don't have an A in art history?"

Andi struggled more in that class than some of her other classes. She had just never really been much of a history person. "It's still a B. That's not bad," Andi defended.

"Alright," Cece said skeptically, "just try to bring that up."

"I'm doing well in everything else!" Andi sort of laughed this declaration light-heartedly.

Cece brushed off the inadequacy of a B in favor of having a pleasant afternoon with her granddaughter. She moved onto her next question. "How are your teachers?"

Andi told Cece about how some of her teachers were rather eccentric. She said that they were sometimes difficult to keep up with, but it was worth it because it made classes really fun.

"And your first art show?" Cece asked excitedly.

"After Thanksgiving," Andi replied. "I'm not going to have a prime spot, but I will have work hanging in the gallery. I'm taking more basic classes right now."

"Well, I'll be there! I can't wait!" Cece exclaimed. She was very proud of her daughter for having such an outstanding talent. She was at first skeptical about the prospect of her daughter going to art school, but she was glad that Andi was taking a path that suited her so well. "What else has been going on?"

Ignorant of the previous situation with Cece and Cyrus, Andi brought up his situation with TJ. "TJ and Cyrus are having a feud. Apparently, TJ won't even talk to him." Andi knew that Cece was aware of the relationship, but she didn't know what Cece thought about it.

At this remark, Cece shifted in discomfort.

Andi's expression changed. "What?" she asked.

"Well," Cece hesitated, "I just don't know if I feel comfortable helping with this problem."

Andi was confused. "Why not?"

Cece didn't want to explain this to Andi. She had a feeling that their views would differ, and she didn't want to have this conversation.

"It _is_ a shame that they're not talking," Cece conceded hesitantly, "but I just don't really support two boys in a relationship."

Andi stared in amazement at Cece's reaction. She was upset, but not shocked that Cece felt this way. She had always known that Cece was more old-school, but she hoped that Cece would at least be accepting of this.

"It's just like anyone else in a relationship," Andi tried to educate Cece.

"It's not natural," Cece said uncomfortably.

Andi decided that this was the time to push a little bit. "You know, the reason TJ is mad at Cyrus is because he wants to come out and Cyrus is afraid. And he's afraid to come out because of people like _you_."

"I'm just traditional!" Cece tried to defend herself.

"Sometimes tradition isn't always the best criteria," Andi rebutted.

"Besides, it's not like he doesn't know what my feelings are on the situation."

"What? When did he talk to you?"

"When we were planning that thing for Jonah."

"What did you say?"

"I just told him not to let his phase with TJ get in the way of his other relationships."

Andi was amazed. She was also upset. This is something she really hoped Cece could actually help with. The only reason she told Cece about Cyrus's situation is because she wanted to be able to give Cyrus better advice. Now, she had to educate Cece instead of the other way around.

"They're relationship isn't getting in the way of our friendship," Andi clarified, "We support them fully."

"Well, then, I guess that's up to you."

All Andi could do was roll her eyes at this remark.

"It's not like I told him that I think there's something wrong with him," Cece said.

"It's not what you _say_ that matters," Andi stated, "it's what you _believe_. And the fact that Cyrus knows that you _believe_ it's wrong is enough."

"Well then, I guess it just is what it is, because you won't change my mind."

Andi was frustrated. She knew that there was nothing she could say to truly educate Cece. She spent the rest of the day there, but that time was full of tension, similar to the tension that had existed between them before.

On Cyrus's end, after he got off the phone with Andi, he had plans to hang out with Buffy and Jonah. He needed the day to get back to some normalcy. He couldn't let his feud with TJ get in the way of his other friendships, even with Jonah. Unfortunately, though, this also meant that Cyrus would have to tell Jonah what was going on so that they could be careful not to misstep.

He went on his way, and he met Buffy and Jonah in the park around two o'clock in the afternoon.

"Hey," Buffy said when Cyrus arrived; Buffy and Jonah were both already there, "What's up?"

"I just talked to Andi," Cyrus told her, "about what's going on with TJ and everything."

"That's good," Buffy said, "I'm glad you got a chance to talk to her."

"What's going on with TJ?" Jonah asked, "And man, I haven't heard from you in a while. Is everything okay?"

"About that," Cyrus started, "We have quite a bit to catch up on."

"I'll say!" Jonah said.

Cyrus began to explain the situation. He completely glossed over how recently he had told Jonah about his former crush. He told Jonah about TJ's jealousy, and explained what happened at The Spoon. He went into detail about how emotional he got and how irrational TJ was being. He said that he was really upset that TJ hadn't talked to him in over a week.

"I thought that you were afraid to talk to me because you told me about your crush," Jonah said.

"No," Cyrus clarified, "I wasn't hanging out with you or talking to you because I was trying to be careful about what TJ saw. I didn't want him to become more jealous because he saw me hanging out with you. I thought that might make the situation worse. I'm sorry I haven't talked to you about it; I just didn't want it to weigh on you too."

"It's okay," Jonah said, "On one hand, I'm actually kind of glad that you weren't scared about what I thought. But I'm really sorry that this is happening. Is there anything that I can do to help?"

Cyrus thought for a minute. He really appreciated Jonah's offer to help. No one had been able to give him any advice as far as how best to handle this problem. He wanted someone to help. But then he realized that there probably wasn't anything that Jonah could really do.

"I'm not really sure if there is," Cyrus replied. "Thanks, but I think TJ and I are going to have to work this out on our own."

"Yeah, I think that would probably be the best course of action," Buffy chimed in.

"Alright," Jonah said, "just let me know if there is anything I can do at some point.

"We just have to be careful when we hang out together. TJ can't see us together, or he's going to flip. We didn't break up, but I'm afraid that if he sees something that he thinks confirms his thoughts, he might actually break up with me."

"Got it," Jonah said. "I totally understand."

"For now, though, I just want to have a nice day and try to forget about TJ," Cyrus said.

"I think that's a great idea," Buffy agreed.

The three of them hung out for a while. They took a nice walk in the park. It was a nice day in mid-October, and they wanted to enjoy it. Being in Utah in autumn, they had no idea how long this weather would last, so they wanted to take advantage of it before it went away.

For quite a while, they just had a great time and enjoyed themselves. They hiked around, jumped in piles of leaves, and just found a lot of fun things to do. They spent the afternoon laughing and playing around in the park. For the first time in weeks, Cyrus's worries melted away for a few hours. Not only did he not think about the fact that TJ was mad, he didn't think about anything that was giving him problems. The thought of coming out to his parents didn't cross his mind. He didn't think about Cece at all. All of his homework was done, and so were all of his chores. He was finally able to take some time for himself without worrying about the things that stressed him out.

When it got a little later, the group got hungry. They weren't very close to The Spoon, so instead, they went to a different counter service restaurant that was closer to the park. It was like The Spoon, but the draw to them at the time was just that it was closer. They were planning to return to the park in the evening for a night of looking at the stars, so they didn't want to go too far.

Buffy and Cyrus were still able to order their usual baby taters and a chocolate shake. Jonah decided to follow their lead and get the same thing. They sat down and remained quiet for a while as they ate.

As Jonah sipped his milkshake through his pink straw, he reflected on what Cyrus had told him earlier. He felt guilty. He knew that he didn't do anything, but he still couldn't shake the feeling that he somehow held a certain amount of responsibility for the feud between the two.

"Are we okay?" he asked Cyrus out of the blue.

"Why would you doubt that?" Cyrus questioned.

"I feel like I'm a big part of your problem right now," Jonah answered.

"No, that's not true at all," Cyrus assured, "you didn't do anything wrong at all. We're fine."

"I'm glad to hear that," Jonah gave a sigh of relief.

Buffy decided to relieve some of the tension, "I'm glad we all got to hang out today."

"Me too," Jonah and Cyrus both agreed, one after the other.

"I'm really glad that I could get TJ off my mind for a while," Cyrus said, "thank you guys for today."

"Of course!" Buffy assured him. "I think you just need to take time to focus on yourself."

"Yeah, and today was great for that," Cyrus added.

"I'm glad you're having a good time," Jonah said in lieu of just having found out about Cyrus's week old relationship problem.

Into the door walked a familiar face that no one expected to see at a restaurant that wasn't The Spoon. Amber looked just as surprised to see Buffy, Cyrus, and Jonah as the three of them were to see her.

"Hey," she greeted them to be polite before asking, "What are you guys doing here?"

"The better question is," Buffy began, "What are _you_ doing here? Don't you work at The Spoon?"

"Yeah," Amber replied, "but sometimes I come here when I don't want to deal with my coworkers or when I'm off work. It can be kind of awkward to go into your place of work as a customer."

"That makes sense," said Cyrus, as the three of them accepted her logic.

"We were just hanging out in the park and didn't want to go all the way to The Spoon," Jonah explained. "Want to sit with us? We're not leaving for a bit."

"Sure," Amber replied.

They started a conversation, and got to talking about TJ. Amber didn't know about it yet, and they kept cycling through the same talking points. Because of how close Amber had become to the group, it was only a matter of time before she found out.

"Let me get this straight," Amber said, trying to make sense of what she was hearing, "You broke up with Iris because you discovered you were gay?"

"Yep," Cyrus replied.

"And you discovered you were gay because you had a crush on Jonah?"

"Uh-huh."

"So that means that you, Andi, and I all had feelings for Jonah at the same time?"

"I guess so."

Jonah sat by feeling a little bit awkward about the conversation about who liked him when.

Buffy came into the conversation a little bit more, once again to ease the tension. "Wow, Jonah, you're very popular," she joked, soliciting a sort of uncomfortable laugh from Jonah so that he felt less tense.

"Well," Amber remarked to Cyrus, "I'm sorry you have to go through this. I hope everything works out."

The four of them talked on a bit, and then the original three went back to the park. It wasn't dark yet, so it was not yet time for stargazing.

"What do you guys want to do next," Buffy asked as she led the trio from the front.

"I'm fine with just walking around a little while longer," Jonah said, "It's good exercise."

"Yeah, that works," Cyrus agreed.

They decided that they would take that time to walk and wind down from the rest of their day. It was mostly quiet at this point, as they didn't want to talk about any drama or bring themselves down. They just enjoyed each other's company.

Suddenly, Buffy stopped in her tracks. The mood shifted. "Why don't we walk the other way?" she said in what was an obvious attempt to distract the other two from something.

"What's wrong?" Cyrus said with nervous laughter.

"I just think we should turn around," Buffy stated a little bit too matter-of-factly, "In fact, I'm getting tired. Maybe we should go home."

"What about stargazing?" Jonah asked.

Before Buffy could answer Jonah, Cyrus, unable to contain his curiosity, pushed past Buffy to see what was going on in front of her. He immediately regretted that decision. He stopped and his expression dropped. Buffy looked at him with sympathy. Jonah observed what was happening, and he couldn't help but to feel pity.

"Let's go," Cyrus said gloomily as he turned around and led the group out of the park and back into town.

At this point, the sight of TJ with Kira on the basketball court was just too much for him to handle.

_**Chapter 12 Coming Soon(ish)!**_

_**Hey guys! I am going to have to stop updating for a while. I have plenty of plot left that I have planned out, but I haven't been able to keep up with writing chapters because the semester is keeping me very busy! I will have more content probably around Christmas. I am going to try to write the rest of my chapters before I post any more so that the rest of the story runs smooth. But there is definitely more to come later, so stay tuned!**_


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: I've had time to write. It's a little later than anticipated, but I have written a few chapters ahead of where I'm posting, so I can post weekly again. Hope you enjoy!**

**I do not own anything recognizable.**

**Chapter 12**

Out of the corner of his eye, TJ noticed Cyrus walking away with Buffy and Jonah in the distance. He didn't make any effort to call Cyrus over, as he would have in the past. He did, however, turn and look over in longing at his disappearing boyfriend. He stared until interrupted by Kira.

"Hey, what are you looking at?"

Cyrus was out of sight by this point.

"Oh nothing," TJ lied, "just a bird."

"Are we going to finish this game or what," said Kira somewhat competitively.

"Yeah!" TJ continued with his fake laughter.

Despite what his exterior and his facial expressions showed, TJ was not having a good time. His situation with Cyrus weighed heavily on his mind. He felt awful about yelling at Cyrus. TJ brought out the dimension of himself that hadn't come out since he and Buffy first met. He hated that dimension of himself, and he used it on the person about whom he cared the most.

While TJ and Kira played their one on one game of basketball – kind of like TJ had done with Cyrus on their second date, but more competitive – TJ could only keep up his fake smiles and laughter for so long at once. At one point, he slipped into a frown, hoping that Kira wouldn't notice. She did notice, though.

As TJ dribbled the ball, Kira stole it from him and held it in her arms, giving him a stare.

"Hey!" TJ exclaimed, visibly irritated that she stopped their game.

"What's wrong," she sighed, seeming more frustrated at the inconvenience of TJ's misery than actually being supportive of him.

"What do you mean?" TJ said agitatedly. "Nothing's wrong!"

"Then what was that frown about?" asked Kira suspiciously.

"I don't know what you're talking about," TJ responded, trying to divert Kira's attention.

"You're trying to distract me from something," Kira said impatiently, "What is it?"

"I'm fine!" roared TJ.

"Then why are you yelling at me?" Kira asked, confused.

"Because you stopped our game for nothing! Can we please finish?" TJ knew he had to switch his demeanor, so he said that last bit with more fake laughter.

"And you promise that you're fine?"

"Yes!" TJ laughed convincingly, so they continued their game.

The truth, of course, was that TJ wasn't really fine. He knew that he had seriously messed up in his relationship by yelling at Cyrus. He should have listened to what Cyrus had to say. If Cyrus had feelings for Jonah, then maybe that could have been worked out. He should have talked to Cyrus calmly and listened instead of yelling. But he already neglected that path. What is done is done. TJ believed that there was no way Cyrus would want to keep TJ around after that. That's why he was so hesitant to talk to Cyrus. The only way he knew how to win his boyfriend back was to force him to realize that he still wanted to be with TJ. TJ thought he could do this by making Cyrus jealous. That's the only reason he went back to hanging out with Kira. He figured that word would get around that the two of them were hanging out and that Cyrus would get jealous and come running back to TJ. What didn't help is that TJ felt guilty the whole time he was doing it. Something inside him knew that it was wrong, but he didn't know what else to do.

TJ beat Kira in the one on one match.

"Well, you beat me this time, Kippen," Kira said competitively, forgetting about the minor skirmish they had earlier. "See you after school on Tuesday?" They had planned to meet then.

"Sure," TJ said hesitantly after losing focus for a second.

The two of them went home in their separate directions. All TJ could think about on the way home was how much he was hurting and how much he was probably hurting Cyrus by not talking to him. He also realized that him hanging out with Kira was probably a really low blow to Cyrus's self-esteem. The poor kid already had enough trouble feeling confidence in himself; TJ had witnessed it firsthand on multiple occasions. What good would it do to make him feel even worse?

It was getting late when TJ got home, so he went to bed without eating dinner. After holding back his tears all throughout his day with Kira – especially after he saw Cyrus – he let it all out right before he went to bed. He essentially cried himself to sleep.

Monday came, and TJ noticed Cyrus sitting in his own corner of the room in their English class. They hadn't talked to each other at lunch. When TJ looked at Cyrus during class, all he could think about was how he was supposed to meet Kira the next day. He didn't want to hurt Cyrus any more than he already had, but he knew that that's exactly what he was doing. A thought came to his mind that caused him a lot of discomfort, '_Am I cheating on Cyrus?_'

This was something for which TJ could never forgive himself if he was. He wasn't really dating Kira, but hanging out with Kira just to make Cyrus jealous made him a jerk. He knew that. When he had those thoughts again the next day during his English class, TJ knew that he had to reconsider his meeting with Kira.

When school ended on Tuesday, instead of going to the park to meet Kira like they had previously planned, TJ took it upon himself to go straight home. He didn't forget; he just didn't show up. He went home and started on his homework, fully aware that he was blowing Kira off.

He got a text from Kira about an hour later. It read:

_Kippen! Where are you! I've been waiting here for an hour! Did you forget?_

TJ replied with a simple '_No._'

_Then where are you?_ Kira asked, with a steaming angry emoji at the end.

_At home_, replied TJ nonchalantly. He added in a separate text, _I don't want to hang out with you. You're manipulative and mean, and it's rubbing off on me. I don't like it, and it's wrong for me to be hanging out with you._

On the other end, Kira was fuming. TJ, however, couldn't see it because he blocked Kira's number before she had a chance to respond. That would be the last those two would hear from each other.

As the week went on, TJ was proud that he was able to move past Kira. He knew that all she was doing in his life was hurting him and Cyrus. He still couldn't muster up the courage to talk to Cyrus again, though. Cyrus hadn't texted TJ or said anything to him in days. TJ was worried that it was just about over between the two of them. He knew that waiting to talk to Cyrus for too long wouldn't be good for their relationship, but he also figured that if he said the wrong thing, it could make things even worse. He just had no idea what he could say to Cyrus that could possibly make things better between the two of them.

Every day in class, TJ and Cyrus sat in the same room while being worlds apart from each other. It was honestly quite the feat. With group activities in class that week, even people who rarely spoke to each other and didn't know each other that well were forced to connect. Somehow, though, the two isolated boyfriends managed not even to make eye contact all week. They both would occasionally look at the other with a look of longing, but caught themselves each time because they didn't want to show the other how desperate they were.

Friday came, and TJ had been isolated from everyone all week. He knew that Buffy was friends with Cyrus before she was friends with him, so he couldn't really talk to Buffy. He hadn't talked to Cyrus in two weeks. Andi was at SAVA, and he wasn't as close to Andi as Cyrus was, so trying to talk to her about it wouldn't make sense. He had also just recently cut out Kira, so he didn't have her to fall back on either. TJ really just felt alone.

At lunch on Friday, as he had for two weeks – except for his occasional awkward lunch with Kira – TJ sat by himself at an isolated table. He didn't really have friends other than the ones to whom he knew he had been a huge jerk. He didn't really talk to his friends from the basketball team in middle school anymore. He didn't even focus much on his high school basketball team, ironically because he wanted to spend more time with his boyfriend.

As he sat alone under the shadow of a dark cloud, Marty noticed from across the room. He usually ate lunch with Buffy, but Buffy had a prior commitment. Marty considered what he should do. He was a caring person who wanted to take people who were hurting under his wing and support them. He also knew that TJ was currently a part of a big mess that was hurting his best friends, and he didn't know how involved he wanted to get. As much as Marty wanted to care, he didn't want to meddle in things that were none of his business.

After a few moments of contemplation, Marty decided that he would go over and talk to TJ. He figured that it looked like TJ was hurting, too, and that there were always two sides to every conflict. He came to the understanding that he could go and try to make TJ feel a bit better without actually meddling in TJ's and Cyrus's relationship.

Marty walked up to TJ and gently tapped him on the shoulder from behind. "Mind if I join you?" asked Marty with the smile that seemed to always be glued to his face no matter what mood he was in.

This startled TJ because he was so used to being alone at this point, and he didn't see Marty coming. "Sure," he then responded hesitantly.

"Why would you want to sit with me, though?" TJ asked, without thinking. "I'm sorry, you probably don't even know what's going on."

Marty's smile faded as they got into the more serious topic. "Actually, yeah, Buffy tells me everything." He clarified. He added one last point onto the end for further clarification, "And Cyrus tells Buffy pretty much everything."

TJ simply looked at Marty with a look of understanding.

"How are you holding up right now?" Marty asked, visibly concerned.

"I've been better," TJ somewhat snapped back. He then immediately apologized for his tone. "I'm sorry," he said, "I haven't been in the best place lately."

"I get it," Marty understood. "Do you want to talk about it?"

TJ was reluctant. He really didn't know Marty that well. The most memorable interaction he had with Marty was their extremely awkward double date. That wasn't exactly great common ground to preface a serious conversation like the one they were about to have. On the other hand, all TJ wanted in this moment more than anything else was to talk about it. He had isolated himself from all of his friends, not knowing how to approach the situation. He wanted someone's advice, and someone now finally came to him to offer it. Even though TJ wasn't tight with Marty, he was in no position to turn down any sort of help.

"I don't really know how to talk about this," TJ was honest with Marty. He then changed course, "I acted like such a jerk."

Marty decided that the best thing he could do in this situation was listen until TJ said what he needed to say.

"I shouldn't have treated Cyrus the way I did. I shouldn't have yelled at him. We could have talked it out. I pressured him to do something before he was ready, and it was cruel."

TJ paused again. Once again, Marty waited to speak so that TJ could say anything that was on his mind that he wanted to say.

"He's not going to want me back now," TJ said, defeated.

At this point, Marty couldn't keep quiet. "What makes you so sure?" he asked, almost ridiculing TJ's point.

"Marty, I messed up big time," TJ emphasized. "I'm not sure if I can repair the damage that I did."

"Everyone has bumps in the road in their relationship," replied Marty. "That doesn't mean you can't get past them."

"I feel like this is more than just a mere bump in the road," claimed TJ out of pure emotion. "And besides, look at you and Buffy! You're both super competitive, she's confrontation-oriented, and yet you're doing fine! You make it look so easy."

Marty gave a small laugh at this remark. "You know, Buffy and I haven't always been smooth sailing."

"What do you mean?" TJ asked, puzzled.

Marty laughed again and started telling the story. He started from how he and Buffy met at the party and then again in track. He told TJ about how he and Buffy competed against each other in track match-ups created by themselves and how Buffy started calling him "11.5" before finally learning his real name. He even mentioned how Buffy once dunked his shoes in the girls' toilet.

"Wow," TJ laughed with a new air of fear about Buffy, "Buffy was even more competitive than I thought."

"Yeah," Marty laughed at the memory. "But it's something I kind of always liked about her." He continued his story with basketball tryouts.

"I feel bad that I didn't remember you because I was too busy making fun of the fact that a girl made the team," TJ said, beating himself up over the past. "I'm really sorry."

"I know you've grown a lot since then; I forgive you," Marty said with his Marty laugh, and he continued to tell the story. "I went on what I later found out was supposed to be a double date with Andi and Jonah. Err, at least Andi believed it was a double date because they wanted to set me and Buffy up," he corrected. "It was actually super awkward."

In that moment, TJ couldn't help but to think about the double date they had had recently. "I guess we're just not good in that environment," he said with a more sincere laugh.

"True," Marty pondered, "but to be fair, Andi and Jonah were the awkward ones."

"I believe that," TJ said, seeming to get so wrapped up in Marty's story that he started to forget about his own negative feelings.

"Anyway, Buffy and I walked and talked afterwards. I had this brilliant idea to bring up what exactly Buffy wanted our relationship to look like in the near future," said Marty with an air of sarcasm. "I told her I wanted to be something more than just friends, and that didn't go over too well. It resulted in us not talking for a while. It was actually months before I talked to her again. I apparently found out I was texting her all through Cyrus's grandmother's Shiva."

"Wait," TJ stopped Marty with a sudden realization, "_you're _'Marty from the Party'?"

"Yep, that's me!" Marty replied with a big cheesy smiley, elicited by a nickname he coined himself but hadn't heard in a while.

"That makes more sense now," TJ laughed, "Carry on!"

"Between the time Buffy and I stopped talking and started again, I got a girlfriend. It made Buffy jealous. I even told her I didn't want to be in a relationship with her, even though that was a complete lie. We were even distant again for a while, but then I realized what I was doing was wrong. I broke up with my girlfriend. It took me a while, but I finally came around to Buffy. At the party, she confessed that she liked me and I confessed that I had never changed my mind about liking her. And now we're in a relationship." Marty finished the story with optimism.

"Wow," TJ replied after taking all of that in. "It sounds like it was a rougher road than I previously thought."

"It was!" Marty confirmed. "But it all worked out in the end."

TJ was suddenly brought back to his situation with Cyrus.

As Marty could see TJ delving deep in thought, he said, "My point is that it's not always going to be easy. Plus, Buffy did some things that she shouldn't have, and so did I. But we worked through our struggles and ended up in a good place. Hopefully, you and Cyrus can do the same."

TJ looked at Marty with understanding.

Marty continued with a laugh, "And I don't really know how guy-guy relationships work, but they can't be much different than guy-girl relationships."

This sparked a small chuckle from TJ as well. It then faded into another worry. "But Cyrus said he liked Jonah. What if he ends up choosing Jonah over me?"

"He won't!" Marty clarified, "as I understand it, Cyrus _used to _have a crush on Jonah. And the past is in the past!"

TJ realized that Cyrus had said that when they were fighting and he was making Cyrus cry. He felt awful. He was so wrapped up in his own irrational pain, that he didn't even hear what Cyrus was trying to tell him. As a result of his conversation with Marty, TJ decided that he needed to talk to Cyrus as soon as possible.

"Thanks, Marty," TJ closed. "That really helped."

"Of course," Marty replied back, "and if you ever need anything else, you can come to me."

They both smiled and finished their lunch. The bell rang, and TJ headed to his English class where he hoped to finally talk to Cyrus.

When he got to class, TJ realized that Cyrus wasn't there. He was worried. He wanted Cyrus to be okay, and Cyrus being out of class sparked an urgency of the conversation he knew he and Cyrus needed to have.

At the end of the day, TJ scrambled all over the place to find Cyrus. He wasn't sure if Cyrus stayed home or what, but he couldn't find Cyrus anywhere.

Instead of finding Cyrus, TJ found Buffy first. He called for Buffy so that she would have to stop in her tracks and see what was going on.

"What do you want?" Buffy was kind of obviously agitated about how TJ had treated Cyrus.

TJ chose to ignore this attitude at the moment. "I need to talk to Cyrus," he said in somewhat of a panic, "do you know where he is?"

Buffy dropped the attitude she had taken with TJ before, hopeful that TJ wanting to talk to Cyrus meant he had come around. Unfortunately, she did not have the best news for him. "Cyrus left to go on a ski trip with his family this weekend."

"I'll text him!" TJ replied hastily.

"I wouldn't," Buffy cautioned. "They went because Cyrus wanted to get away from things for a while. If I were you, I'd wait until he comes back."

"Ok," TJ said with noticeable disappointment. He finally decided that he needed to talk to Cyrus. He knew that no matter what happened, he had to say _something_. He had to take the risk of saying the wrong thing so that he didn't wait long enough to the point that Cyrus thought he didn't care. But now, Cyrus was away. And it was all because of him. Cyrus left to get away from TJ. He knew he couldn't bother Cyrus on his retreat, so he would have to wait until the next week. It was killing TJ that when he finally wanted to make things right, he couldn't.

_**Chapter 13 Coming Soon!**_


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: I do not own anything recognizable**

**Chapter 13**

Despite Cyrus's best efforts to get TJ out of his mind the previous day by hanging out with Buffy and Jonah, the end result of the day was just too much for him to handle. Of course Kira would be the one to ruin things between him and TJ again. Cyrus began to believe that there was no one else better for the job; at least, he hoped there wasn't because he didn't want any more trouble than there already was.

That night, Buffy's and Jonah's support was simply white noise to Cyrus. He knew that they were just trying to be supportive of him, but he was stuck inside his own head. He looked back on how after he went to the park and saw TJ and Kira together, he cried himself to sleep. He couldn't help but wonder if TJ was feeling this too. Did TJ miss him? Did TJ feel any remorse whatsoever? Was TJ actively trying to make him jealous?

It weighed on Cyrus while he tried to figure out what was going on in his boyfriend's mind. Did TJ even still want to be with Cyrus?

It was a Sunday that Cyrus spent deep in antagonizing thought. Realizing that this was the second weekend in a row that he had no thought on his mind other than TJ, he knew that he needed to do something about it. He couldn't live like this. He needed to give himself space. He tried, but he ran into TJ in the park. He needed not to feel like he couldn't even go out without toxic thoughts about his relationship intruding on his good time.

That Sunday night was family dinner night with the parents with whom Cyrus lived. They liked to do that every so often to catch up and make sure that they all stayed close. They believed that eating meals together was a great way to do that.

At family dinner, Cyrus came up with an idea that might actually help him get his mind off of TJ this time.

"Have either of you ever been skiing?" he asked out of nowhere when his parents were in the middle of a conversation about something else; Cyrus wasn't even sure what it was, because TJ was on his mind. That's how he knew he desperately had to get away from the situation for a while.

The two of them looked at each other, confused because of how irrelevant Cyrus's question was to their conversation.

"Um, no, I've never been," Sharon, Cyrus's step-mom, said. "Why do you ask?"

"Dad, have you ever been?"

"I've been once, but too long ago for me to remember very well," his dad, Norman, responded.

"I was thinking that we should plan a ski trip!" Cyrus exclaimed.

Norman and Sharon exchanged puzzled glances. They knew their son. Skiing did not seem like a thing he would just want to do, given how little he invested himself in physical activity.

"What made you interested in skiing?" asked Norman.

"It's just something I've never done before. I want to try some new things," Cyrus replied.

Norman and Sharon glanced at each other again, but this time it was out of their own curiosity and desire to try something new. They both shrugged. They were also both pleased at Cyrus's sudden excitement for doing things unfamiliar to him, as they know that is something with which he had struggled before.

"Why not?" Sharon said with an accepting shrug. "Sounds like a lot of fun."

"We can get on that within the next couple of weeks and figure out what we want to do," said Norman. "There should be a lot of good places for skiing in January."

"Actually," Cyrus added, with a bit of hesitation because he knew he was about to make an odd request, "Can we go next weekend?"

Norman and Sharon were again taken aback by this. They didn't anticipate Cyrus's haste. The topic just seemed to come up out of nowhere, and they didn't know what to make of it. Why was Cyrus so eager to go skiing, and why so soon?

"Well, you have school," Sharon reminded him. "I was thinking we could leave on a Friday when you were off, and come back on Sunday evening."

"What if I missed school on Friday?" Cyrus asked, as if it were no big deal.

"I don't really know how we would feel about you missing school," Norman was apprehensive about the idea. "Besides, why do you want to go next weekend as opposed to any other weekend?"

The real reason that Cyrus wanted to go on a trip was because he wanted to get out of town so that he didn't have to worry about TJ. He knew he would have to go to school all week and see TJ in his English class, and he was dreading that. In fact, it was one of the reasons he really wouldn't mind missing school that Friday. Cyrus didn't even care if they went skiing. He just wanted to do anything other than have to think about his fading relationship with TJ. A ski trip was just the first thing that came to mind. It would be wrong to say that the idea hadn't interested him before, though. He had never been, and he felt like it was something he wanted to try.

Of course, Cyrus wasn't out to any of his parents yet, so he couldn't tell them that this was all about TJ. They knew TJ was friends with Cyrus, but they didn't know that they were dating. Cyrus had to fabricate some sort of a reason why he wanted to go skiing in the immediate future that wouldn't make his parents suspicious that he was keeping something from them. He decided that he would appeal to their professions as therapists and said that he needed something for his mental health.

"I've just been really stressed out lately," Cyrus replied to his dad. "I've been having a hard time at school." It wasn't really a lie. There was truth to everything Cyrus was saying.

"What specifically is bothering you?" Sharon asked.

"It's just a lot," Cyrus responded, having to cover up a little, "being at a new school and only knowing a few people. Sure, I'm still with friends, but it's just a strange environment. I just feel like I need to get away from it, and the sooner the better."

"How have you been doing on your homework?" Norman asked with skepticism.

Cyrus believed that his dad asking this question was a good sign because he wouldn't have asked if he didn't start to consider Cyrus's request. "Great! It can be stressful, but I'm staying on top of it." Knowing that his parents would want more, he said, "and I can get my homework for the weekend from my teachers and finish it early! Anything that I don't finish before Friday, I can do on Sunday night when we get back!"

Norman and Sharon exchanged looks yet again. Once they broke eye contact, Sharon turned to Cyrus, "We're not making any promises, but your father and I will talk about it."

"And your mother and I will talk about it," Norman chimed in, acknowledging that this was a decision he probably shouldn't make without Leslie.

Cyrus smiled, "Thanks, just let me know."

They finished their dinner, and Cyrus was hopeful. Even if they didn't end up going on the ski trip, at least he could keep himself under the illusion that he would have something to look forward to at the end of the week. If nothing else, it gave him something to think about besides TJ.

The next day at lunch, Cyrus told Buffy about his conversation with his parents.

"A ski trip sounds so cool!" Buffy reacted.

"Well, I don't know if it's actually happening yet," said Cyrus. "There are still a few hoops to jump through."

"Well, for your sake, I hope it does happen," Buffy sided with Cyrus.

"Me too," Cyrus agreed. "But what do I do now?"

"What do you mean?"

"I have to go to class after lunch, and TJ is in it. I don't know if he saw us or if he knows if we saw them. Should I say something? I feel like I shouldn't. But what if he wants me to? How can I know for sure if he even-"

"Cyrus!" Buffy interrupted, "Worrying about that isn't going to do you any good right now. Just carry on with your day."

Cyrus's shoulders slumped like they usually do after he tenses up and is brought back down to Earth. "I really need this ski trip."

"Yes, you do," Buffy agreed.

Although Buffy was right that worrying wouldn't do Cyrus any good, that didn't stop Cyrus from worrying. He went to his English class, and it was awkward. He saw TJ look over once, but he chose not to acknowledge it. He hoped that TJ would come up and talk to him. He hated feeling so apart from his boyfriend, even when they were so close.

To make matters worse, their English teacher announced that they would be working in groups that day. They got to choose their own groups. Cyrus, while desperate to work with TJ, needed to know that TJ still wanted him. He knew that it wouldn't work if he just went up to TJ and asked to be in the same group. He was even afraid that TJ might get mad.

To Cyrus's disappointment, TJ decided not to be in a group with Cyrus. Little did he know that TJ also wanted Cyrus to come to him. They somehow didn't even make eye contact that day.

Cyrus went home at the end of the day, feeling like he had just had his heart ripped out. It was the same feeling he had after seeing TJ with Kira on the basketball court in the park, only this time it wasn't as bad because he already knew that feeling.

Unbeknownst to Cyrus, his four parents – Sharon, Leslie, Norman, and Todd – all talked to try and figure out what was going on with Cyrus and if getting away would really help him. Since Sharon and Norman were at home, they pulled him aside when he got home and talked to him.

"Cyrus, we first want to know that everything is okay with you," Norman said after they told him that the group of four all talked. "We want to make sure that if you're struggling, you know you can talk to us."

Cyrus needed to take a moment before responding to that prompt. He still wasn't ready to come out to them. It's not that he didn't want them to know; he figured that at this point, any less than positive reaction would only weigh on him more, and he didn't need another thing on his plate.

He opted for what he believed was the safest way to respond with a half-truth. "I'm okay. I just feel really weighed down right now. I can't really focus on anything, and I think it's because I'm trying too hard. I just need to force myself to get away from my stress for a little bit."

"Well, Cyrus," Sharon began, "you have to know that stress is a part of life, and you can't always escape it. Sometimes you just have to power through."

This response from his step-mom disappointed Cyrus. He really thought he would be able to convince his parents about this ski trip, but at that point, it didn't seem like it was going to happen.

When Cyrus thought this, his thought process was interrupted because Sharon wasn't quite done. "However," she said, giving Cyrus back a bit of hope, "in this situation, we know that this is all very new to you and we want to help you out as much as possible."

"So," Norman dovetailed off of Sharon's comment, "the four of us decided that this trip would be good for you."

Cyrus lit up upon hearing this decision. He would be able to get away for the weekend and not have to worry for once.

"Todd and your mom are busy this weekend, so we're going to take you," Norman clarified.

"Plus," Sharon clarified, "your father and I thought it would be a good family bonding experience."

"Just make sure that you ask your teachers for the work you need to make up on Friday like you said you would," Norman chimed in.

"Of course!" Cyrus agreed, just delighted that he would get this chance. "What can I do to help plan? I don't want you to have to do it all yourselves."

"You've got a lot going on, it seems," Norman said. "We'll take care of everything."

Cyrus was fine with that. He was just glad that he was going to get the getaway that he needed.

The next day was awkward again in English class. There was more group work, and neither TJ nor Cyrus picked each other. They still didn't make eye contact, even throughout the rest of the week. Cyrus got through their ignoring each other by thinking about the exciting ski trip that his parents were planning for the weekend. That truly was going to be a saving grace for him.

On Thursday, when more details of the trip were planned out, Cyrus went to talk to Buffy at lunch. He lit up more than Buffy had seen him light up since being yelled at by TJ. "If I'm not here tomorrow, take a guess where I'll be," Cyrus said smugly with a smile. It was a smile that Buffy hadn't seen since Cyrus teased her about Marty when they first became a thing.

"Your parents said yes to the ski trip?" Buffy asked excitedly.

"Yep!" Cyrus actually looked happy for the first time in a while. "We're leaving first thing tomorrow morning!"

"Well I'm glad that you get to do that," Buffy said supportively. "This is your chance to just let go of it all for a weekend."

"I know!" Cyrus said. "And I'm excited, too! Also kind of nervous," he said with a sudden shift to the tone he had when Jonah first tried to teach him how to skateboard. "Do you think I'll be any good at skiing?" he asked Buffy casually.

Buffy just responded with laughter. She was just happy that her best friend would get to be happy. It had been a while, and it took a toll on Cyrus's general quirkiness, which is a part of Cyrus that Buffy missed dearly. It seemed to show itself quite a bit in this interaction, which pleased Buffy greatly.

When Cyrus, Norman, and Sharon left the next morning for the trip, Cyrus could not be more ecstatic. He was so excited to try something he had never done before. Norman and Sharon knew that it was the right decision to make the trip when they saw Cyrus's quirkiness come back that morning. They had also noticed its absence for the past couple of weeks.

When they got there, it was around lunch time, so they grabbed a quick bite to eat. Afterwards, they checked in at the ski resort and began their weekend retreat.

As they saw signs directing them to each slope with varying degrees of thrill, Norman asked "so where should we go first?"

Cyrus and Sharon looked at each other and simultaneously said "bunny slope," with a nod and a laugh. Neither of them had ever been skiing before, and with the options being the bunny slope, beginner slope, intermediate slope, and expert slope, they opted for the one that was deemed the easiest.

They all went along to the bunny slope. As they got off of the ski lift, Cyrus noticed it was about the time when he would normally be doing his writing warm-up in his English class. He began to think about TJ, and he couldn't shake the feeling that something had shifted and that maybe he should talk to TJ.

Instead, he turned his phone off. He decided that thinking about TJ was a slippery slope, and not the kind he wanted to experience on his ski trip.

Thinking of the words "slippery slope," Cyrus then began to freak out. Not about TJ, but about skiing. He looked forward. The bunny slope was so much bigger than he thought it was going to be. Even though it wasn't that steep, the only direction he could get himself to see was down. He froze in his tracks. He was afraid to move lest he fall over and hurt himself. It wasn't until he started whispering to himself that Norman and Sharon noticed there was something off.

"Cyrus?" called out Norman. "What are you whispering?"

"Prayers," Cyrus muttered, obviously petrified, "you know, just so I don't die."

Cyrus, now thinking about more existential threats to his life than TJ, began to whisper more to himself, "Dear God, if you do decide to take me, just know that I've been nothing but good in my life. Please remember that on judgement day-"

"Cyrus!" Sharon stopped him from his worrisome praying. "You're going to be fine! We'll be right here by your side the whole time!"

"What if I fall?" Cyrus worried.

"Then we'll be right here to pick you back up," his dad assured him. "That's what family does, isn't it?"

Cyrus took a deep breath, and together they slowly made their way down the hill. Norman helped both Cyrus and Sharon make their way down the slope because he knew a little bit from his last time skiing about how to stop and how to use the poles. They discussed all that before they started down.

Despite Cyrus's near panic attack at the top of the hill, he had a blast. Not once after his fearful prayer did he think about TJ. They stayed on the bunny slope for the remainder of Friday and even for a good chunk of Saturday. While none of them went anywhere near the intermediate or expert slopes, they did advance to the beginner slope. Of course, when Cyrus got to the top of the beginner slope for the first time, he was worried his lunch would come up while he went down. His dad and his step-mom once again helped calm him down and showed him a great time.

They did a little bit more skiing on Sunday morning. Cyrus enjoyed every second of it. He didn't think about his stress. He didn't think about his situation with TJ. He didn't think about the fact that he would have a bunch of work to do when he got back home before he went to school the next day. He didn't think about anything that weekend that didn't cause him joy. Cyrus just had such a great time. He didn't once pick up his phone while staying at the ski resort, not even to charge it. Instead, he took every opportunity to connect with Sharon and his dad. He was so grateful to have such amazing people looking after him. They put him as their first priority, and they made sure that he was okay at whatever cost. They even planned this ski trip for him because they knew how down he was feeling, even lacking context! They got him through so many of his own personal obstacles in life and in this trip.

Cyrus's weekend was one of the best he ever had. He experienced pure joy for the first time in weeks. Not only that, but he bonded so much more with two of the most influential people in his life, realizing that they cared for him and were going to be there for him no matter what.

_**Chapter 14 Coming Soon!**_


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: I hope you guys like this chapter. I couldn't write it without getting emotional.**

**This scene contains material from the show which are Disney's ideas. I do not take credit for anything other than additional commentary added to the dialogue. I do not own anything recognizable.**

**Chapter 14**

On Sunday afternoon as he returned from his trip, one very strong memory came back to Cyrus that had stuck with him clear as day since it happened.

_Cyrus walked into The Spoon feeling maybe as anxious as he had ever felt in his life. This was it. He didn't know if he was ready to say anything, but he felt that he had to. He had a girlfriend, and last night, his feelings for his best friend's crush couldn't be clearer to him. It had just dawned upon him that people who were just friends didn't necessarily have that much longing and desire for each other. With everything happening so quickly around him, it was time._

_When he got to The Spoon, he waited for Buffy, who he had texted earlier. He found a table in the corner away from where large crowds of people usually sat so that he could have a relatively private conversation with Buffy. He ordered a couple of waters for them as he waited. Although he wasn't sure how long he waited, it felt like over an hour. He sat there, anxiety-ridden, wondering what was going to happen when he finally told the truth. He was afraid and he shook so much that it seemed The Spoon was turned into a human freezer._

_As he contemplated what he was doing and what would come next, he didn't notice Buffy walk in until she sat down at the table across from him with an upbeat demeanor._

"_Hey!" she greeted Cyrus with enthusiasm._

_Cyrus, however, did not show anything near the level of enthusiasm that Buffy had expected. In fact, he showed none at all. He sort of mouthed the word "hey" and gave a half-hearted wave with his eyes half shut and his straight face bordering on a frown._

_Buffy was immediately concerned, and her smile faded. "Are you okay?" she asked._

_Cyrus sighed and shook his head._

"_Did you already order the baby taters," she asked with more enthusiasm, wanting to cheer Cyrus up with the prospect of food. She was also trying to move the conversation along, to figure out what was going on. Cyrus hadn't told her why he wanted her to meet him. He didn't even as much as say 'I need to talk to you.' He just sent her a text that read 'Meet me at The Spoon.'_

"_I don't want any baby taters," Cyrus responded with a depressingly candid certainty._

_At this point, Buffy was very concerned. "You're scaring me," she said to her friend, who was visibly shaken._

"_I'm scaring me too," Cyrus gave a sort of nervous unsettling laugh that scared Buffy even more about her friend's well-being. He took a deep breath, as he only got more afraid the closer he was to telling Buffy._

"_What is it?" Buffy only got more deeply concerned with every remark like this that Cyrus made. She looked at Cyrus apprehensively._

_Cyrus took a moment to collect himself, and he began to speak. "Last night, when we were watching Andi and Jonah," he began softly and paused briefly before continuing, "you asked me 'am I happy for Andi?'"_

"_Yeah?" replied Buffy, listening intently._

"_And I said yes, I'm happy for Andi," Cyrus recounted the events of the previous night. He paused, and he sighed, on the verge of tears. He had to get it together before he continued. "But I'm also not happy," he said, worrying Buffy deeply. Cyrus got more and more nervous._

"_How come?" Buffy asked, confused._

_Cyrus's silence and hesitation to answer the question gave Buffy some time to think about scenarios in which Cyrus wouldn't be happy for Andi for getting into a relationship. Suddenly, it hit her, and without waiting for Cyrus to respond, she asked about what she believed to be the big revelation. "Are you jealous?"_

_Cyrus nodded, with a look on his face of nervousness and sadness. Buffy couldn't stand to see Cyrus this way._

"_Cyrus," Buffy started, "do you like Andi?"_

_Cyrus didn't want to say it out loud. He didn't like Andi that way. He sighed and shook his head, showing that he was nervous. He shook and shook._

_Buffy looked confused at first, but then the realization came to her. "You like Jonah," she whispered her realization._

_She figured it out. There was no turning back now. Buffy knew. Cyrus hesitantly shook his head and took a deep breath, anticipating Buffy's reaction to the news. She looked at him with a little bit of shock about the news, but also with empathy for what she thought he might be going through. She was speechless. She wanted to be silent for a second and listen to what Cyrus had to say._

"_Buffy," Cyrus started, still nervous, "I feel weird." He paused for a moment. "Different." He took a deep breath, his hands folded nervously, looking into Buffy's eyes in the hopes that she would understand his pain._

_Buffy hated seeing her friend this way. She began to shake her head, in shock that Cyrus would put himself down this way. "Cyrus," she said comfortingly as she gently took ahold of his hands across the table, "you've always been weird," she said with some humor and then looked right into Cyrus's eyes, "but you're no different."_

_That was it right there. Cyrus just felt a huge weight off his shoulders. Cyrus held back tears of relief. His friend was there for him in exactly the way he needed her to be._

"_I'm glad I told you," said Cyrus, visibly relieved. He kept breathing heavily, but now out of the concerned state that he was before._

"_Me too," Buffy assured softly._

_Cyrus brought himself down a little bit again. "But the thought of telling anyone else-"_

"_You'll be okay," Buffy interrupted to assure him, "I promise."_

_Cyrus took in his friend's support, and nodded with understanding, while continuing to hold onto Buffy's hands across the table._

"_This is really bad timing," Cyrus continued, "I just got a girlfriend," he laughed softly, but not out of the character of the moment._

_Buffy chuckled a bit, glad to see that her friend could still connect with his sense of humor, even in a very serious moment for him._

_They laughed together, and Cyrus, in that moment, was okay._

As Cyrus reminisced about that day, he remained in deep thought about his parents, TJ, and how far he had come from what was one of the scariest and most cathartic moments of his life. This was Cyrus's first major step in proving to himself how strong he really was.

_**Chapter 15 Coming Soon!**_


	15. Chapter 15

**AN: It is now time for me to reveal that I am finished writing. I determined the overall story arc before I began writing the first chapter. There are a total of 20 chapters, so I will keep updating every week until I have posted the final chapter. Enjoy!**

**I do not own anything recognizable.**

**Chapter 15**

After TJ found Buffy on Friday afternoon, he was eager for Cyrus's return. He didn't say anything else to Buffy because he didn't want to stick around the rest of the afternoon with someone who was close to Cyrus; she just reminded him too much of the sticky situation he was in. He also didn't want to get caught up in saying the wrong thing, especially to someone like Buffy who he knew would immediately inform Cyrus about anything that happened.

TJ knew that he would need to be the first one to approach Cyrus about their situation before anyone else when he came back. The interaction would have to mean something. All TJ could do the whole weekend was wait for Cyrus to come back. Even though the two hadn't talked in a while, they saw each other in class every day. TJ took that for granted, and when Cyrus was out for one day, TJ missed him so much. He didn't even think about the fact that Cyrus got to get away and left TJ to all of his depressing thoughts about the end of their relationship being in sight. TJ knew how he treated Cyrus. Cyrus deserved time away, and TJ deserved to be the one pondering his actions and the future. TJ knew that he had everything to apologize for, while Cyrus had nothing. TJ was well aware that when Cyrus got back, he couldn't miss a beat.

On Sunday afternoon, while TJ waited in anticipation of Cyrus coming back home, his phone buzzed. He got super excited and nervous at the same time, only to see that the text was from Buffy. It just said "hey."

_Hey_, TJ replied. Without waiting to see what Buffy wanted, he asked _Is Cyrus back yet?_

TJ watched the three gray dots on his phone, as every second he waited for Buffy to respond felt like several minutes.

Buffy's text read, _Yes, that's why I'm texting you. To let you know that he's back._

_Should I text him? _TJ asked right away.

_Maybe wait until tomorrow_, Buffy responded. _He just got back, and I'm not sure if he wants to be bothered right now. I know he has a lot of work to do because he missed a day of school._

_Oh yeah, that's true. I'll give him some space_, TJ sent that text still disappointed, as he wanted to talk to Cyrus as soon as humanly possible. He sent another text to Buffy because he knew that she was always close to Cyrus. _I'm sorry for everything that happened. I acted like a jerk._

_Don't tell ME that. Tell Cyrus._

Because of who was affected, TJ wasn't at all perturbed by Buffy's response. He knew that he hadn't really done anything to Buffy; he just wanted to get the apology off his chest. Before he could respond, he saw another text from Buffy:

_Good luck. I hope everything works out between you two, truly._

TJ wasn't sure whether Buffy just said this because she was concerned about Cyrus or because she legitimately wanted TJ and Cyrus to stay together because she liked them together. Either way, TJ appreciated Buffy's well wishes, and he thanked her for it.

For the rest of the evening, TJ chose to focus on his school work because he knew it was something he had to do. Overthinking his situation with Cyrus wasn't going to get him anywhere, and he feared that it might even make their next conversation worse. As much as he wanted the next day to come quickly, he knew that he didn't have the ability to make time move any faster. He did recognize that if he spent all afternoon thinking about his worries, like he had all weekend, then it would feel like time was passing slower.

When TJ woke up the next morning, he actually felt excited. He knew that he would see his boyfriend again, and that they might have a chance of making up. In addition to his excitement, though, he was terrified. He couldn't shake the thought of what might happen if he messed up his apology or if Cyrus just didn't accept it. TJ had only just realized how much he took Cyrus for granted, and he was never more afraid of losing Cyrus than he was that morning.

TJ got ready, ate his breakfast, and went to school, just like any other day. While he went through the first half of his day, he frequently stopped and took out his phone, only to stare at it and occasionally type messages to Cyrus that he would then backspace before sending because he didn't know what to say. At first, he thought that maybe he could ask Cyrus to meet him during lunch, but then he realized that the conversation might need more time than that. Then he was going to ask Cyrus to meet him at The Spoon, but recognized that their conversation should probably be private.

By the time lunch came, TJ hadn't sent any texts to Cyrus, so he stayed away from Cyrus. He didn't want to force the conversation in a short period of time because he knew that it would be difficult to make amends that way.

Unknown to TJ, Cyrus also wanted to talk, but didn't know what to say. He was also afraid of making things worse. They both wanted to make up, but neither one of them knew the other's intentions.

After lunch came the English class that TJ and Cyrus shared. TJ decided that it was now or never. He couldn't see Cyrus and excuse not talking to him if he wanted to make up. He was nervous, though. Instead of approaching Cyrus, he sent a text.

_Meet me by the swings after school today?_

After TJ sent the text, he looked over at Cyrus in anticipation.

Cyrus noticed the text from TJ. He looked down at it, read it, and paused. He was nervous. TJ was finally making an attempt to talk to Cyrus, but Cyrus didn't know what it meant. Unaware that TJ was looking over, Cyrus looked up at TJ, and for the first time in weeks, their eyes met. The looks of longing and desperation on both of their faces said everything that each of them needed to know.

TJ noticed Cyrus look back down at his phone, type something, put his phone away, and then look away. TJ's phone buzzed. The text from Cyrus said "yes." TJ silently gave a nervous laugh and smile. He knew that he would finally be able to talk to Cyrus again after so much time apart.

As the rest of the day went by, TJ looked forward to being able to talk with Cyrus. Meanwhile, Cyrus was nervous about what the conversation would bring.

When the school day ended, instead of going immediately to the swings at the park, Cyrus went to Buffy.

"Hey, what's up?" Buffy asked cautiously, as she noticed Cyrus's demeanor, which was more nervous than usual.

"It's TJ," Cyrus said nervously.

"Did he say something to you?" Buffy knew that TJ wanted to apologize to Cyrus, but she didn't want to give Cyrus that impression and end up being wrong. She was able to hide the undertones of excitement and relief in her voice by asking with a tone of general curiosity.

"He wants to meet me at the swings."

"When?" Buffy asked.

"Now."

"Well then why aren't you going?" Buffy suddenly urged Cyrus to go meet TJ.

"I'm scared," Cyrus clarified. Buffy relaxed her shoulders, exhaled calmly, and took a moment to listen to Cyrus. "I don't know if he wants to make up with me or-" Cyrus paused because he didn't want to say the next part.

"Or what?" Buffy asked, nudging Cyrus on.

"Or break up with me," replied Cyrus dejectedly.

Buffy put a hand on Cyrus's shoulder to comfort him. "Cyrus, I don't know either. But if you don't go talk to him, you won't find out. I hope he doesn't want to break up with you, but if he does, then putting it off isn't going to make it hurt any less."

Cyrus started to tear up when Buffy added, "But if he does want to make up – which I think is much more likely – then you need to go to him and let him do that."

"What if I say the wrong thing?" Cyrus worried.

"Don't worry about that," Buffy assured, "You'll get through it."

The two were silent for a minute or two, other than Cyrus taking some very deep controlled breaths.

"Okay," he said. "You're right. I gotta go."

"Good luck," Buffy said with an assuring smile on her face.

Cyrus took off towards the swings.

TJ went directly to the swings after school; since Cyrus stopped to talk to Buffy, TJ had to wait. Waiting was really hard on TJ. In fact, he began to think that Cyrus was blowing him off. Just when that thought began to cross his mind, he saw Cyrus come from behind him where he was sitting on the swing.

As soon as TJ saw Cyrus, he got up, and wrapped him in a hug. Neither of them said a word, Cyrus returned the hug, and neither one wanted to let the other go. When they finally did let go, TJ made sure he was the first to talk.

"I'm so sorry," he started, "For everything."

All TJ could do for the next few minutes was vehemently apologize. Cyrus let him. It gave him a sort of uncomfortable satisfaction to hear TJ try to make amends. As much as he hated to see TJ breaking down, he knew that he deserved every apology that TJ gave him. As much as Cyrus wanted to focus on only the good things that happened in their relationship and just get back to normal, he knew that they both need to acknowledge what had just happened and how TJ treated Cyrus, because it did affect their relationship, and neither could deny it.

TJ apologized for misinterpreting what Cyrus said about Jonah. He apologized for yelling at Cyrus. He apologized for being selfish. He apologized for using Kira to make Cyrus jealous. He apologized for ignoring Cyrus for so long and waiting so much time to try to make things right.

TJ, longwinded, getting to the end of his list, finally said, "And I'm sorry for pressuring you to come out to your parents. I never should have done that. You need to wait until you're ready, and only you can determine that. I should have been happy with what we had instead of jeopardizing it by trying to make decisions for you. I'm sorry."

Cyrus took TJ's hands, and let TJ catch his breath, as TJ gave a longing sigh in hopes that Cyrus would accept his apology. That gave Cyrus some time to think about his own response. Cyrus was wise, and he wasn't going to say that it was okay. He knew that that wasn't an appropriate response because it wasn't okay. Even though Cyrus was okay now, what TJ did was not okay by any stretch, and Cyrus chose his words carefully to make sure that he didn't give TJ the impression that it was.

"I forgive you," Cyrus decided on his choice of words, "for all of it."

TJ gave another sigh, but this time it was a sigh of relief. He didn't know what else to say – he had already apologized for everything – so he hugged Cyrus again.

Once he let go, Cyrus spoke again, "People make mistakes. I really like you, and I don't want to lose this. Please trust that."

"Of course," TJ replied, thinking that he would be an idiot not to trust Cyrus on that. "I'm so lucky to have you."

"I'm the lucky one," Cyrus replied, thankful that TJ was able to see his own mistakes and make amends for them. He knew that it took a lot of strength for him to do that. In fact, that's one thing that made him like TJ so much in the first place. TJ always tried to be better, and when he made a mistake, no matter how long it took, he would come around. This interaction was proof of that.

The couple talked through some of the things for which TJ had just apologized so that they could understand each other better. TJ was right; the conversation wouldn't have fit into lunch. Plus, they hung out together for a while because they hadn't talked to each other in so long that they really needed each other's company.

A bit of the way into their afternoon, Cyrus said after a long pause, "I'm gonna do it."

TJ looked at Cyrus, puzzled. "Do what?" he asked.

"I'm gonna tell them," Cyrus said with conviction. "My parents – I'm going to come out."

At first, TJ looked worried. "You don't have to. Please don't let me pressure you-"

"I want to," Cyrus interrupted. "It's okay, you're not pressuring me."

"What made you change your mind?" TJ asked.

Cyrus told TJ about the ski trip. He said that he had figured out that his parents were always there for him. They kept him calm when he was afraid on the slopes. They had a great weekend all together. Just the fact that they let him go on this trip when he said he was feeling down proved that they cared about him and just wanted the best for him. He added on how cathartic it felt when he finally came out to Buffy, and he said that he knew it was what he needed to do.

"Are you sure you're ready?" TJ asked, even after Cyrus's long explanation; he wanted to make sure he was extra cautious and that Cyrus really didn't feel pressure.

"I'm sure," said Cyrus.

TJ smiled, happy that Cyrus finally felt confident enough in himself to come out. He knew it would be Cyrus's biggest step so far, and he was glad that Cyrus found that courage.

"That makes me really happy," TJ said, but made sure to clarify, "For you. Not just for me. I just want you to be yourself."

"I know," Cyrus smiled back at TJ. Despite how clunky TJ's words were, Cyrus understood exactly what TJ meant. "Thank you."

The two of them, by this point, had already made the move from the swings to a nearby park bench. Cyrus leaned on TJ's shoulder, just as he had done at the party.

"You know," TJ began to say teasingly, interrupting the silence, "now I can't stop imagining how cute you must have been getting nervous at the top of the slopes."

Cyrus blushed, and he playfully punched TJ in the arm. After he did that, realizing how much he missed having a boyfriend, Cyrus reached his head up to kiss TJ. Even though it caught TJ a little off guard, it was certainly more than welcome.

As the rest of the week went by, TJ and Cyrus spent a lot of it together again. Cyrus informed Buffy about his and TJ's talk on Monday. TJ reached out to Marty and thanked him for the advice. Jonah picked up on what had happened, and the group started hanging out like normal again. They gave TJ and Cyrus a little bit more space though, because everyone knew that they could use a little bit more time with just the two of them together.

Andi got permission from Bex and Bowie to invite everyone over on Saturday. She didn't initially invite TJ because she didn't know that he and Cyrus made up. On Friday, when Andi invited them, Cyrus told Andi the whole story of that week and asked if TJ could come too.

"Of course!" she responded without hesitation. "I'm really glad you two are alright."

"Me too," Cyrus agreed.

On Saturday, Andi, Buffy, Marty, Cyrus, TJ, and Jonah, all gathered in the living room of Bex's and Bowie's apartment. It was a bit crowded because of how small the room was for all of them, but it was fine.

The six of them used this time to catch up with each other and with Andi because they hadn't seen her in a while due to art school. TJ hadn't really talked to anyone in the group very much because he knew that they were all closer to Cyrus. The only person with whom he really had an interaction before making up with Cyrus was Marty, and that brought those two a lot closer together. Cyrus hadn't really been able to think about much other than TJ, so he didn't really talk to any of his friends about anything other than his relationship except for that one day that he spent with Buffy and Jonah. It was a much needed gathering that brought everybody who was there closer to each other.

Bex and Bowie spent most of their time in the kitchen, so that the kids could have their time together. They did hear a knock on the door, though, so Bex went to see who it was.

Cece stood at the door, not unannounced, as Bex was expecting her to drop off the laundry detergent that she borrowed.

"Mom, you can come in if you want," Bex said with a slight laugh.

"Oh sure, why not?" Cece said, as she was more upbeat than normal.

When Cece walked in the room, she did not expect to see all the kids sitting there.

"I didn't know you had company," she said to Bex.

"Oh yeah, Bowie and I are in the kitchen, if you want to join us," Bex stated.

"I think I'll take you up on that offer. Do you have any tea?"

"As a matter of fact, I do," Bex responded.

"Wow, this group just keeps getting bigger," Cece observed as she made her way from the living room into the kitchen.

"Yep," Andi chimed in for the first time, "we're like one big happy family!" She put her arms around Buffy and Cyrus, who sat right next to her. They all smiled.

Before Cece made it into the kitchen, the sight of TJ sitting immediately next to Cyrus and the two of them holding hands caught her eye.

"Oh," her tone shifted drastically to one bordering on disgust that she didn't hide very well, "you two made up."

Cyrus's and TJ's expressions dropped, and they let go of each other's hands. Everyone else in the room noticed and waited for the awkwardness to pass.

"_Mom_," Bex whispered aggressively, sending a clear message.

Cece walked through the door with Bex to the kitchen.

After Cece was out of earshot, Andi whispered, "I'm sorry," to TJ and Cyrus.

"It's fine," Cyrus said dejectedly, "we get it."

At that point, they knew that they just had to move on from the moment.

In the kitchen, Bex started to get frustrated with Cece. "Why do you have to be so judgmental?" she made sure to keep her voice down so that she wouldn't upset TJ and Cyrus more.

"What's going on?" Bowie asked, a little hesitantly and confused.

Bex filled him on Cece's feelings about Cyrus dating TJ.

"Why can't you just be accepting?" she turned and asked Cece.

"Well I'm sorry, but it's hard to just get on board with something like this. It's not natural!"

"It's as natural as mine and Bowie's relationship, Mom."

Cece frowned, "I know that you think you're right again, but you're not going to win this one."

Bex exhaled and closed her eyes before shifting gears entirely. "Mom, what kind of sweetener do you want in your tea?"

Bex knew that she just had to let it go. At least she was glad that TJ and Cyrus made up.

_**Chapter 16 Coming Soon!**_


	16. Chapter 16

**AN: I do not own anything recognizable.**

**Chapter 16**

As the group sat in Andi's living room, they knew they needed to move on to something more positive after the awkward moment with Cece. Instead of shifting their attention to another topic altogether, Andi turned to Cyrus and asked, "So, have you told your parents yet?"

"Not yet," Cyrus replied, and then hastily turned to TJ to assure him, "but I will soon."

Seeing the look of urgency on Cyrus's face, TJ took Cyrus's hand back, gave a soft smile, and said, "Take your time."

This caused Cyrus to smile because he knew that he and his boyfriend were finally on the same page. His smile then faded as he thought about the task ahead of him. "I just don't really know what I'm going to say yet."

As if out of nowhere, Marty chimed in encouragingly with a smile, "All you have to do is tell them. There's not much to it. You'll be alright."

Andi and Buffy gave each other a quick glance following Marty's unexpected words of wisdom.

Jonah then added, "The more you think about it, the harder it's going to be."

"What wise words from the peanut gallery," Buffy joked, as Marty and Jonah weren't usually they advice-giving type in these kinds of situations. Andi laughed along with her.

"They're right," TJ said. "Don't overthink this. And don't act like you feel the need to explain yourself. That will only make them think that _you _think there is something wrong. Whatever happens, I'm here for you."

"And so am I," Andi jumped in reassuringly.

"Me too," Buffy added.

"You got this!" Marty and Jonah said simultaneously in their own cheesy ways, before exchanging a glance characteristic of two people who had just startled each other with how alike they were.

Cyrus took in the support of his friends, and he couldn't help but smile and feel good about the support he had around him. In that moment, Cyrus knew that it was time. He took out his phone.

"What are you doing?" TJ asked curiously.

"I'm texting my parents!" Cyrus said confidently.

"Wait," Andi was taken aback, "you're telling them now? By text?"

"No," Cyrus clarified as if what he was doing should have been obvious. "I'm texting them to say that I want to talk to them. I'm seeing if all four of them are free tomorrow."

Cyrus texted his parents, and his step-parents. His tactics could have been a little better as the first text he sent simply asked if he could sit down and talk to all four of them in person at the same time the next day. They all found it was sort of an odd request to make, so his phone started blowing up with his four parents' worries almost instantly.

_Did something happen?_

_What's wrong?_

_Did you get in trouble?_

_Do we need to talk now?_

_What's going on?_

_Are you okay?_

The string of messages went on so long that he lost track of who was who. He replied to all of them to reassure them.

_I'm fine. I'm not in trouble, and nothing is wrong. There's just something I want to talk to you all about. We'll leave it for tomorrow._

As Cyrus continued to talk with his friends, he set up with his parents a time that they could all meet. They decided it would be best to do so in the afternoon, a little before dinner time.

The deeper Cyrus got into his planning with his parents, the more nervous he became once again. His friends noticed.

"Cyrus," Buffy snapped him out of his nervous daze, "You okay?"

"Huh? Oh, um, yeah," replied Cyrus as he came to.

"We're here for you, bud," Jonah assured him, sensing Cyrus's nervous energy.

Without saying a word, TJ put his arm around Cyrus, successfully calming his boyfriend's nerves.

The rest of the day went by, and the group enjoyed their time together. Fortunately, the group split up early enough to the point where TJ and Cyrus were able to avoid another awkward encounter with Cece as she left the place. Cyrus already had troubling thoughts about coming out to his parents; the last thing he needed was for Cece to solidify them and turn them into legitimate fears. Instead, he went home and went to bed that night making the conscious decision to focus on the support that he had around him in his new and old friends.

After a good night's sleep, Cyrus woke up the next morning.

_Today's the day_, he thought, as he sprang out of bed, eager to get to it – well, more like to get it over with.

He took a shower and then gave himself a boost of confidence by spraying on that macadamia cologne of which he had become so fond since his first kiss with TJ. It was finally time. It was time to go get a pep talk from Buffy and his boyfriend so that he didn't just have to wait around all day until all four of his parents were together. They had decided the day before that the three of them would meet just in case Cyrus started doubting himself.

"Where are you going?" Cyrus's dad asked as he noticed Cyrus about to walk out the door.

"Oh, I'm just going to go meet some friends," Cyrus responded. "I'll be back by the time Mom and Todd get here."

"Alright, see you later."

Cyrus met Buffy and TJ at The Spoon.

As soon as he sat down, TJ put a hand on Cyrus's shoulder and asked, "How are you feeling?"

Truthfully, Cyrus felt alright. He wasn't as nervous as when he told his parents that he needed to talk to them.

"I feel good," Cyrus told them.

"Nervous?" Buffy asked.

"A little, but not as much as yesterday for some reason."

"Glad to hear that," said Buffy.

"I know we said not to overthink it," TJ began, "but have you thought about what you're going to say?"

"Just like Marty said," Cyrus replied, "just say it."

At this remark, TJ gave a half-hearted smile. Cyrus knew what it meant.

"And I'm definitely going to tell them about you," Cyrus assured TJ. "How could I not?"

TJ lit up at that remark. A big part of the reason that he wanted Cyrus to come out was so that the two of them could be together in public and not have to be worried about who knew or found out. It was a relief for TJ to hear that Cyrus wanted to be open with his parents about their relationship.

Cyrus really did want his parents to know that TJ was his boyfriend and not just his friend. Not only did he not want to keep that secret anymore, but he started feeling the same way TJ did about wanting to live their lives without worrying about outing themselves. Cyrus recognized that coming out to his parents was his final step in that endeavor.

The trio hung around each other for a little while and had a nice brunch. Even though Cyrus turned out not to be in need of a pep talk when he got there, it was nice to have the company that he had so that he didn't get trapped in his own mind before a really big conversation with his parents. In a little while, however, Cyrus did start to have some worries.

"What if I get so nervous that I have a panic attack?" The question came out of nowhere, and it turned Buffy's and TJ's heads.

"You haven't had one in a while," Buffy said

It's true. Cyrus hadn't had a panic attack in months. Even his relationship troubles with TJ didn't trigger his anxiety as much as it might have in another time in his life. He was just aware that he was entering an anxiety-inducing situation that could cause his stress levels to get higher than normal.

"Yeah, but I still want to be prepared," Cyrus responded to Buffy's observation with an air of caution.

"That's not something you can control," TJ said, trying to be reassuring, but momentarily causing Cyrus to get a little bit more nervous. He noticed Cyrus's shift in mood and clarified, "What I mean is that you should focus on what you _can_ do. Know what you're going to say. Be prepared for any outcome. If you have a panic attack, then stop and ground yourself."

"You're right," Cyrus said. "I'm overthinking this."

"Cyrus," Buffy acknowledged him, "it's okay. Just don't freak yourself out. We're here."

"TJ, how did you tell your parents," Cyrus had only just thought of the question, upon realizing that TJ was already out.

"I just told them."

This didn't really help Cyrus's nerves settle. It was the same thing he had been hearing, but it didn't offer any new insight into what exactly to do.

"You're tough, Cyrus," TJ said. "Whatever happens today, you'll be okay."

"_I'm_ tough?" Cyrus couldn't help but to laugh at the thought of someone thinking he was strong. "Have you seen how scrawny I am?"

"Yes, and it's adorable," TJ said, causing Cyrus to blush on the spot and Buffy to chortle at the remark. "But you're one of the toughest people I know," he continued. "Even when something gets in your way, you find a way to get back up and power through it. That's tough."

Upon hearing TJ's flattering remarks, Cyrus sized himself up, squared his shoulders and smiled. "Yeah, I'm tough," he convinced himself. Of course, he did it in his typical goofy Cyrus way, causing the others to laugh. Cyrus then let down his guard again and laughed with them. "Thanks guys, I needed that."

"Any time," Buffy assured.

"I should probably get going," Cyrus noticed the time.

"Do you want us to walk home with you," Buffy asked. She and TJ had spoken earlier and agreed that they would offer to do that.

"Sure, why not?" Cyrus agreed.

The three of them walked to Cyrus's house. About 200 feet away from the driveway, Cyrus stopped dead in his tracks, his smile faded, and his expression dropped.

"Oh no," he said with a sudden worry.

"What is it?" Buffy asked, concerned.

"They're here."

He saw Todd and Leslie's car in the driveway. They were early. The realization that the moment was about to happen was enough to get Cyrus's nerves going again.

Buffy took Cyrus and put her hands on both his shoulders. "Deep breath," she calmed him. "You got this."

TJ broke Cyrus's contact with Buffy so that he could hug his boyfriend. "Good luck, tough guy," he whispered in Cyrus's ear.

Cyrus laughed, and he regained some of his confidence. "I'll let you guys know how it goes."

With that, TJ and Buffy took off, and Cyrus made his way home. As he walked in, all four of his parents were sitting around the living room.

"Sorry I'm late," Cyrus apologized. "Hi Mom, hi Todd."

The four of them were a little too worried for colloquial greetings.

"What's going on, Cyrus? Is everything okay?" Leslie asked, but they were all thinking it.

"Is there something wrong?" asked Norman.

"Yeah, I'm alright," Cyrus responded. "Nothing's wrong."

Cyrus hung up his coat and he made his way into the living room to sit with everyone else. When he sat down, he knew he had to start talking. His heart started racing. They weren't the type of nerves that he couldn't hide, but that didn't make them any less present.

"There's something I want to tell you," he started, his hands sweating. "I thought it was best if I told you all together in person."

"Okay?" Sharon prodded with a look of worry on her face.

Cyrus waited so that he made sure that he could say it without nerves getting in the way and making his words incomprehensible. He had never come out to more than two people at once, and now he would have to come out to four. He felt pressure as the four people in the room were staring at him, awaiting his next words. It made every second he didn't say anything feel that much longer.

"I'm gay," he finally said.

Everyone in the room relaxed their shoulders and exchanged looks with each other. This time, they weren't worried looks, but looks of understanding.

"And TJ and I aren't just friends," Cyrus continued, "he's my boyfriend. We've been dating a few months now. And I thought it was time to tell you."

Leslie, being the closest parent to Cyrus, grabbed his hand in hers. "Honey," she began with a soft voice, "I think all of us knew that. I'm just glad that you finally felt like you could tell us."

Cyrus breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't even question how they all already knew; he was just happy that he told them and that they were supportive.

Norman chimed in, "That takes courage to say that. I'm glad you did."

"Me too," replied Cyrus with a smile.

"There's nothing that could make us not love you," Sharon added.

"We'll always be here for you; that's what family is for," Todd gave his piece.

Cyrus was delighted by the reactions from his parents. It was done. He told them what he needed to tell them, and the people who mattered the most to him were supportive of him.

As they sat there, Cyrus explained the events of the past several months in clearer detail. He didn't tell them everything, because he knew that some of the experiences he shared with TJ were special because they were between the two of them. He did, however, tell them about the party when they first became official. He also told them about the rough patch they recently experienced to give them the full truth about why he pushed for that ski trip.

"I was stressed about my relationship with TJ," he said on the matter, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I just wasn't ready yet."

The four of them were forgiving, and they listened to his story. He even told them about his former crush on Jonah. He knew that the combination of everything he said was a lot to dump on his parents immediately after he came out, but he had hidden it all for so long and now he finally felt like he could talk about it. No one in the room cared that it was a lot; they all just took the moment to connect with each other and get to know their son a little better.

"In the future," Norman began his concluding remark, "you shouldn't ever have to be afraid to tell any of us anything. Got it?"

"Got it," Cyrus said with a smile on his face.

The five of them decided it would be nice to have dinner all together since they were already together. It was a nice night with a lot of camaraderie and Cyrus took in every pleasant moment of it.

The next day at lunch, Buffy and TJ found Cyrus immediately and asked him how his talk with his parents went. He told them what happened, and they both expressed how happy they were for him.

"To celebrate, we should all get lunch at The Spoon!" Buffy exclaimed. "I'll text Andi!"

Sure enough, later that day, TJ, Cyrus, Andi, Buffy, Marty, Jonah, and Amber all met at The Spoon. Amber didn't work that day. They were at the point where they had to push tables together. Everyone was happy for Cyrus having surpassed this step of coming out to his parents.

Much of that Monday afternoon was just the seven of them talking about stuff. Amber was a lot more confident in herself and had learned to find that inner voice rooting for her so that she didn't have the compulsive need for a boyfriend. Marty was doing well on the track team, setting records that were quite impressive for a freshman. Buffy was doing the same on the girls' basketball team at the school. Andi had news.

"I think now is as good a time as any to tell you guys this," Andi said excitedly.

She was met with a chorus of "What?! What is it?!"

"Alright, alright," she laughed. "I have a boyfriend."

"What?!" Cyrus said with so much excitement that he could barely contain himself. "Who is he? What's his name? When can we meet him?"

"Cyrus!" Buffy stopped him, "let her breathe first – and then let her answer all of those questions, because this is so exciting!" She sped up as she said every word.

"His name is Jack," Andi responded to the bombardment of questions. "He's in my introduction to arts class, and he's really sweet. We've been talking for a while, and a few days ago, we finally became official. You'll get to meet him soon, but we're both super busy, so it won't be immediately."

"Congratulations Andi!" Marty exclaimed.

"Yeah, good for you," TJ agreed.

"I'm really happy for you," Jonah was the last to chime in.

When Andi looked at Jonah, a bit of sympathy creeped in. She started to wonder if telling him in front of everybody else was potentially not the most courteous thing she could have done. Before she could think about it anymore, she was interrupted by Cyrus, who had his milkshake raised over the table.

"Cheers to the new expanded Good Hair Crew!"

Everyone at the table was a part of it, and they all raised their glasses for the toast.

TJ looked over at Cyrus and couldn't help but to think how lucky he was to have this boyfriend. Not just any boyfriend, but _this _boyfriend. TJ believed that Cyrus's enthusiasm, courage, and spunk was more than he deserved and he couldn't help in the moment but to lean over and plant a kiss on Cyrus, who accepted the gesture as he also thought about how lucky he was himself.

Suddenly, everything stopped. TJ and Cyrus felt all ten eyes of everyone else on them.

"What?" Cyrus asked.

"That was the first time you've kissed in front of us," Andi stated.

They both blushed, and the table shared a good laugh.

When it was time for them to leave, Andi walked out with Jonah.

"Hey," Andi said, believing that she needed to acknowledge Jonah. "How are you feeling?"

"About what?" Jonah said, all perky like his normal self.

"I said I had a boyfriend. I know we have a history. Are you okay with all this?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Jonah," Andi sighed, "you can tell me if you're not."

Jonah got a little bit more serious, but maintained his smile. "Andi, you shouldn't need me to be okay with this. You need to live your life."

"I know," Andi said, "but are you?"

"Yes," replied Jonah, "I'm happy for you."

He was. Upon first hearing the news, he didn't think he would be, but Jonah was legitimately happy for Andi. He understood that the relationship between the two of them wasn't romantic. That part of it was in their past. He came to the conclusion that he needed platonic friendships more than a relationship at this point in his life, and Andi was one of the best that he had.

Andi could see that Jonah was being genuine, so she offered a simple "thanks," and moved on from the subject.

Meanwhile, Buffy walked back with Cyrus.

"Do you remember when we walked down this street and you were telling me about your date with Iris?" Buffy asked nostalgically.

"Yeah, it seems like forever ago," Cyrus replied.

"But it wasn't. So much has happened in the past two years."

"Wow, you're right. I went from this scrawny little kid who was afraid of everything to a tough cookie who has a boyfriend and is out of the closet and can kiss his boyfriend in front of his friends," Cyrus laughed.

"You've come a really long way," Buffy acknowledged. "I'm really proud of you."

"Thanks," Cyrus couldn't help but to feel great about himself and where he was in his life. He really had grown a lot over a short period of time, and that was everything to him. Buffy was proud of him, and he was proud of himself, too. For once, he didn't worry, and he didn't begin to freak out about everything; he sat back and was grateful for everything that he had.

_**Chapter 17 Coming Soon!**_


	17. Chapter 17

**AN: I do not own anything recognizable**

**Chapter 17**

"We need to go on a date."

Cyrus had missed TJ for the time that they had their feud. They hadn't been on a date in forever, and he wanted to correct that. It was kind of a spur of the moment comment that came from the realization that they were just sitting and eating lunch together like any other day.

"What do you want to do?" TJ asked in response.

"What about something more traditional? Like a movie?"

"That sounds like it could be fun."

The two of them went through a list of movies to see if there was one in which they would be interested. Once they decided on one, they agreed on a time and Cyrus said he would buy the tickets later. There was just one problem – Cyrus didn't really have money for movie tickets. He would have to ask his parents.

When Cyrus got home from school that day, he didn't hesitate.

"Hey dad," he said as he walked in the door, waiting for a response.

"Yeah?" called Norman from the other room.

"I was wondering if I could go see a movie tomorrow with a friend. Would you be willing to pay for the tickets?" Cyrus wasn't used to referring to TJ as his boyfriend in front of his parents yet, so the word 'friend' just kind of naturally slipped out.

Cyrus didn't ask for much, so his parents weren't really very frugal when it came to spending on him. Plus, he was an only child being raised on income from two households, each with two parents. They figured that if he asked for two movie tickets once in a blue moon that they wouldn't deny the request.

"Sure, how much? And what movie?" Norman had emerged from the other room, and now stood in the same area as Cyrus.

"It's this movie called 'I Can't Get No Satisfaction'," Cyrus responded. "It's a movie about the Rolling Stones' rise to fame." With so many movies coming out about rock stars' origin stories, Cyrus and TJ felt like this was the best one for them to see. Cyrus didn't say it, though, because still no one else knew TJ's full name. "I'm going to see it with TJ."

As Norman listened intently and heard that last bit, his expression dropped. "You're going to the movie with TJ?" he asked with a surprising look of concern.

"Yeah…," Cyrus tried to figure out why his dad had hesitations.

"What's going on over here?" Sharon came into the room, only noticing the last awkward little bit of their exchange.

"Our son wants to go to a movie with his boyfriend," Norman told her. After a moment of hesitation from both of them, he asked Sharon a question that shocked Cyrus, "How do you feel about that?"

Cyrus was taken aback as Sharon took a moment to think about it. He had just come out to them, and they acted supportive, but now they seemed hesitant to let him spend time with his boyfriend. His dad was willing to pay for the movie tickets, but as soon as he mentioned TJ, there was a different mood in the room, a negative one. Why would the two of them all of a sudden have a problem?

After thinking about it for a little bit, Sharon finally agreed to pay for the tickets. "I guess. Just be careful, and don't get yourself in trouble."

"I'll be fine," Cyrus replied, kind of rattled by the situation in which he found himself at that moment.

The movie was the next afternoon, and the two of them met after school to go see it. Cyrus decided not to tell TJ about the odd encounter with his parents the previous night; he instead wanted them both to have a good time.

When the two were in the theatre, a moment passed between them where they didn't even pay attention to what was happening on screen. They became so wrapped up in each other's presence that nothing else outside of them existed for a couple of minutes. They moved their hands toward each other's slowly, similar to how they did at the party. They knew they wanted to hold hands, but they had never showed affection in a public place that crowded before. The one exception was in The Spoon, where they had kissed and held hands, but it was less intimidating to do so because they were surrounded by their friends who they trusted; it also wasn't very busy that day. This was quite a bit more intense. Finally, Cyrus grabbed TJ's hand; he couldn't stand not holding it anymore. When he did this, they both smiled at each other.

A little while later, in a moment where he decided that he didn't care who could see, Cyrus put his armrest up and leaned on TJ, more focused on his touch than on the movie or his surroundings. TJ, noticing Cyrus getting comfortable, wrapped his arms around his boyfriend. The two of them stayed that way for the duration of the movie, during which they shared a couple of kisses at random times that just felt right. Each of them initiated one of their two kisses.

When the movie ended, the two boyfriends leaned on each other when the lights went up. It stunned them, as they hadn't thought about who could see them when it was dark; everything just melted away, and they didn't really care. Now, everyone could see them. They did receive a couple of stares, but they ignored them. They were still too wrapped up in each other to care what other people thought or saw. They didn't pull away from each other when people looked over; they just naturally let each other go.

"I don't want this night to end," Cyrus sighed.

"Who said it has to?" TJ replied.

Cyrus smiled at the comment, "I like the way you think."

The two of them went to the park and sat together for a while. They didn't talk much. They hadn't even turned their phones back on after leaving the theatre. They just stargazed and enjoyed each other's company.

It got to be around ten o'clock at night when Cyrus realized that he needed to get home. He kissed his boyfriend goodbye, and made his way home. Nothing could ruin his good mood – or so he thought.

When he got home, he entered the living room to find his tired dad and step-mom with agitated looks on their faces.

"Where have you been?" Norman asked, instantly revealing his slightly more than moderate irritation.

"At the movie with TJ," Cyrus quickly got defensive, "I told you I was going."

"The movie started at 4:00," Sharon showed just as much anger as Norman. "It's now 10:30. Do you mean to tell me that it was a six hour movie?"

"No," Cyrus responded, "we went to the park afterwards. What's the big deal?"

"It's past curfew," Norman replied harshly.

"But," Cyrus paused, confused, "I don't have a curfew." It was true. Cyrus was never out late, so his parents never felt the need to give him one. It was a rare occurrence for Cyrus not to be home before 9pm.

"Well maybe it's time we set one," Norman pointed to his watch in frustration. "From now on, you need to be home by eight!"

"Eight?" Cyrus asked, perplexed. "Why is this coming up now?"

"You're spending a lot of time with TJ, and we need to set some boundaries," Sharon replied.

Cyrus was stunned. Why was this happening now? Why would they have acted supportive before if they were just going to shut him down afterwards? This was a big blow to Cyrus's confidence in his relationship. He didn't want to deal with it, and it was at that moment that he decided that he couldn't tell his parents anything else about his relationship with his boyfriend.

"Fine," he said, angrily pretending to surrender, "but can we please talk about it later? I have school in the morning."

Norman and Sharon hesitantly agreed, and he went to bed quite frustrated.

The next day, Cyrus brushed off the unfortunate interaction at home, deciding that he just wanted to live his life and think about the positive things.

During lunch, Cyrus, TJ, Buffy, Marty, Jonah, and Amber all sat together. The group had absorbed Amber at this point, too, because she continually realized that the people with whom she used to spend the most time were never really there for her in the way that she needed them to be; these friends were.

"Hey, I just got a text from Andi," Buffy said, looking up from her phone. "She said that because the weather is going to be nice on Saturday, we should all get together and have a picnic."

"That sounds fun!" TJ said.

"I'm down!" Marty exclaimed.

"That sounds docious magociuous!" said Cyrus out of nowhere, as everyone stopped and stared.

"Did you have to do that?" Jonah asked, mildly irritated, as he knew Cyrus was making fun of his old catchphrase.

"I was just waiting for the right opportunity, and it finally came," Cyrus said smugly while shrugging his shoulders. They all laughed.

"I'll let Andi know," Buffy said.

After she texted Andi, she got a response and read it aloud.

"Oh my god, guys!" Buffy prefaced the reading of Andi's text. "Andi just said, 'it will be a great opportunity for you all to get to meet Jack!' We're going to meet Andi's boyfriend!"

"Ooh," Amber chimed in suggestively, "Andi has a boyfriend? Okay, I _have_ to meet him. Am I invited?"

The rest of them remembered that Amber wasn't there when Andi made the announcement.

"I'm sure you are," Cyrus assured her. "You're one of us now. Good hair crew member number seven!"

Amber laughed somewhat uncomfortably, as she thought that was an odd designation.

"I'll ask, just to make sure," Buffy said as a polite gesture. Andi did confirm that Amber would be invited.

"So we'll have a big crowd, then?" Jonah asked.

"Even bigger than just the eight of us," Buffy replied. "Cece, Bex, and Bowie will be there too."

"So that's eleven," Cyrus counted up in his head. "I hope she brings enough food." He said it with his typical oddness that no one even commented; TJ just found it cute. He was happy that he finally got to reconnect with his boyfriend and that everything seemed like it was back to normal. He had no idea about the struggle Cyrus currently had with his parents.

The week passed by, and the group was excited for the picnic on Saturday. It was a rare warm and sunny day in late November where they lived.

Cyrus's parents had set a curfew of 8:00 p.m. They were unwilling to budge on the issue. The picnic was at noon, so it wasn't a big deal. He just told them that he was going to hang out with Andi and Buffy, and he didn't mention that TJ would be there.

They met on the hill in the park where Bex first met Jonah. It was, in fact, a large crowd.

Cece laid out a blanket, and upon the arrival of more people than she expected, was frustrated that she was not prepared. Bex and Bowie prepared picnic foods like sandwiches, crackers, fruit, and bottled water; they brought enough for everyone, prompting to Cece to accuse them of trying to one-up her.

Andi, Jonah, Buffy, Marty, TJ, Cyrus, and Amber all showed up together.

"Why is _he _here?" Cece scoffed in a whisper to Bex, relating to TJ.

"Mom, you need to get over whatever this is," Bex was quick to shut her down.

"I just don't want him corrupting my kid," Cece retorted.

"First of all, she's my kid – your grandkid; I thought we resolved that a long time ago. Second, they're not going to 'corrupt' anyone. That's not how it works."

Cece rolled her eyes the whole time Bex was talking. "Well then how does it work?" she asked, hoping to stump her daughter.

"It works like this," Bex started to state and shrugged, "You just leave them be so that we can have a nice picnic."

"Fine," Cece emphasized, "But I'm _your_ mother, not the other way around. You don't get to boss me around."

"When are we going to meet Jack?" Buffy asked Andi excitedly.

"When he gets here!" Andi laughed. "And _please_ don't embarrass me!"

"No promises," said Cyrus suggestively.

A few minutes later, a boy walked over the hill, looking around as if he was lost. He was on the short side, and he was a bit overweight. His hair was short, but it was long enough to be a bit of a mess. He had some naturally occurring acne on his face that didn't seem out of control, but one could tell he had a hard time getting rid of it.

"Jack!" Andi yelled for him, excited to see him.

"Hey! Are these your friends?" Jack rang out in a surprising voice, catching everyone's attention.

Jonah was the first to introduce himself, "Hi, I'm Andi's friend, Jonah."

"Nice to meet you," Jack responded.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Cyrus interrupted, "Make why for the _original_ Good Hair Crew. I think we should meet him first." Everyone laughed at this remark.

"So much for not being embarrassed," Andi rolled her eyes.

"Good Hair Crew?" Jack turned to Andi, confused.

"It's what Cyrus, Buffy, and I used to call ourselves," Andi clarified.

"Speaking of which," Buffy said suddenly with a far more serious demeanor than anybody expected, "I'm Buffy. And if you hurt her, you're going to have to answer to me."

"Okay!" Andi yelled hastily. Trying to ease the tension, she said, "Isn't Buffy just the greatest? Very protective of her friends." Andi emphasized the last word, while frowning at Buffy.

"Well, I guess Buffy has done my job," Bowie stepped in, "I'm Bowie; I'm Andi's dad. It's nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too," Jack responded, reaching out and firmly shaking Bowie's hand.

"Nice handshake. That'll get you far," Bowie said, impressed.

"I'm Bex," she said after Bowie was done greeting her. "I'm Andi's mom-"

"And I'm Cece," she interrupted with a sort of menacing smile. "This is a crazy bunch. Good luck."

Jack was made a bit uncomfortable by that last bit.

"We're just as crazy as your typical group of friends in high school," Andi assured him.

Marty, Amber, and TJ made their introductions as well. Overall, they all liked Jack. He was kind to all of them, and everyone could see why Andi liked him so much.

"Shall we eat?" Cece always seemed to be the one to try and get things going.

They took the food out from their coolers and picnic baskets and had a nice lunch.

"So," Bex started, "Andi, I'm excited for my daughter's first art show tomorrow!"

"What?" Cyrus asked immediately. "You didn't tell us it was happening?!"

Andi stayed relaxed even after the intensity of Cyrus's question. "It's not a big deal. I have one drawing on display. I'll let you guys know when something important happens."

"This is important!" Bex exclaimed. "My daughter is going to have her work displayed!"

"I'm going to wear my favorite dress!" Cece chimed in.

"It's not a formal event!" Andi laughed.

"What?" said Cece, scathingly. "I can't look nice for the gallery?"

"I mean, you can do whatever you want, but you'll look very out of place," Andi replied.

"Well, I'm willing to take that chance."

"I am sorry we can't go," Buffy said. "I have a basketball game tomorrow."

"And the three of us were going to go watch," TJ said, indicating himself, Cyrus, and Marty. "Cyrus and I haven't gotten to see Buffy play yet this year."

"It's fine. Really," Andi assured. "Good luck, and have fun!"

"We will! I'm bringing snacks!" Cyrus burst out.

Cyrus's sudden outburst caused TJ to laugh, and they leaned on one another and held hands. Cece was visibly disturbed by this. When the others were in conversation, Bex gave Cece a bit more than gentle nudge.

"What?" Cece said through her teeth.

"What happened to leaving them be?" Bex returned through hers.

"I didn't say anything," Cece mumbled.

"Yeah, but if looks could kill," Bex wasn't having any of it.

The rest of the picnic went on, and everyone got to know Jack. There were a few more moments when Cece was made visibly uncomfortable by TJ's and Cyrus's relationship and Bex had to knock her out of it. Bex couldn't tell whether they all went unnoticed or if TJ and Cyrus just decided to ignore it. Everyone ended up going home happy, so at the end of the day, that's what mattered.

Later that day, Bex's phone rang. It was a call from Cece. Bex was in the middle of something when she initially got the call, so she didn't pick up. It rang again – another call from Cece. She thought her mom was just being obsessive, so she ignored it a second time. Then, after she let it go to voicemail, Cece called a third time. Thinking it might be an emergency, Bex picked up.

"DON'T YOU EVER ANSWER YOUR MOTHER'S CALLS?" Cece yelled from the other side of the line.

"I was busy, Mom! What is it?"

"I CAN'T FIND MY DRESS!"

Just as Bex suspected, her mother was being obsessive and overdramatic.

"Well, then, wear a different one," Bex said as if it was an obvious solution.

"I need to wear _this one_ tomorrow! I always wear it for special occasions like this!" Cece now sounded like she was breaking down.

As annoying as Bex found her mother's attitude about this dress to be, she still loved her and couldn't stand to see her this upset about anything. "Alright, I'll be over to help you find it."

"Hurry!" Cece said and then hung up.

"You're welcome," Bex said sarcastically to no one, staring at the phone in amazement that her mother just hung up on her. She then made her way over to her mom's house.

When she got there, Cece opened the door before she even knocked. "Okay, you look around, and I'll check the security cameras."

"Security cameras?" Bex asked, confused.

"I had security cameras installed about a year ago because I was afraid of a break-in," Cece said matter-of-factly, "someone could have stolen the dress."

"Wait, Mom, slow down. When was the last time you wore this dress?"

"Before the party!" Cece referred to the most recent party thrown at their house, as there had only really ever been two. "Someone at the party could have stolen it!"

"Mom, you think that a bunch of middle school students were interested in stealing an adult woman's dress?" Bex asked, trying to bring Cece to her senses.

"Yes. Now go look," Cece didn't stutter.

Bex sighed, rolled her eyes, and then looked around.

Cece went into her home office and opened the software on the computer that allowed her to see the security camera footage. There was no sound, so she fast forwarded through footage from different rooms throughout the house, seeing if she could spot the dress anywhere. She started with the living room, and checked from the beginning to the end of the party. Then, she looked at footage from the staircase near the door. She didn't find anything in either. She even checked footage from the kitchen, despite the fact that no one went in there all night.

The next place she checked was the patio outside the back door, where there were a couple of benches set up. As Cece fast forwarded through that footage, she stopped to view it when she saw Cyrus sit down on the bench next to TJ. To her, it was a sight she just had to see. She scoffed at it.

_Well, this should be interesting_, she had the scathing thought.

She couldn't hear what they said, but she could see what they were doing. Fortunately for TJ, Cece couldn't read lips, so she wasn't able to decipher his real name.

Cece continued to watch, and as she saw them laughing together, she started to feel something other than discomfort. It was a positive feeling that she then tried to push away to convince herself that their relationship was wrong. She continued to grimace to confirm her pre-existing beliefs to herself.

Suddenly, as they stopped laughing, and their hands moved closer to each other, Cece's attention was captured. She felt the tension that they felt that night. She felt how nervous they both were. She was right there with them. When they smiled and grabbed each other's hands, the weight was taken off of her shoulders just like it was taken off of the boys' shoulders when they confessed to each other that night. That moment melted her heart.

Without warning, Bex came into the home office with the dress for which Cece had been looking. "I found your dress, Mom. It was in your closet."

Bex's sarcastic tone went unnoticed, as Cece simply looked over at Bex and then back at her computer screen.

"Mom?" Bex noticed tears in her mother's eyes, a sight she didn't see often.

"Can I have a tissue?" Cece asked, sniffling.

"Sure," Bex seemed confused. She brought a tissue box over to her mom, and looked at the computer screen to see the security camera footage of TJ and Cyrus leaning against each other the night that they officially became boyfriends.

"It's beautiful," Cece admitted.

Bex put her hand on her mom's shoulder. "I'm glad you came around."

Cece smiled, and was overcome with mixed feelings of joy at the sight of the beginning of something wonderful and right.


	18. Chapter 18

**AN: I do not own anything recognizable.**

**Chapter 18**

"That dress is _way _too fancy for this event!" Andi laughed, as Cece showed off her attire for the art show. Per Cece's request, Andi and Bex had gone to Cece's house early to help Cece get ready.

"Well sometimes, I just like to feel fancy," Cece replied.

All Andi could do was roll her eyes in a humorous manner. She was excited about the art show, too. She spent a lot of time playing it down so that others wouldn't get too pumped up and then disappointed when they saw that she only had one piece of art there. The truth was, though, it was a big deal to her that she was going to have her artwork hung up in a gallery.

The three of them met Bowie at the art show.

"Wow!" Cece said in bewilderment. "_This _is where you go to school?"

"Yeah, it's great isn't it?" Andi said cheerily.

The larger artwork was set up in the hallways like a gallery. Sculptures were placed in the halls as if it were a museum. A few of the walls had murals painted on them by students, and the most recent one was marked to distinguish it. Smaller craft projects, canvas paintings, drawings, and sketches were placed in surrounding classrooms.

"This is," Bex had to take a second to find the right word, "impressive."

"I love this!" Bowie exclaimed. "The art here is amazing!"

"Which one is yours?" Cece asked with anticipation.

"Well, you won't find it out here," Andi laughed, as they stood in the middle of sculptures, prototypes, and murals. "This way."

She led them to the classroom that was just about as far out of the way as anything at that show.

"This is one is mine," Andi said with a grin that was almost bigger than the piece of paper on which she had painted. "What do you think?"

Her three guests stared at it in awe. It was somewhat of a self-portrait, but a symbolic one at that. She had drawn her head, and inside it, in place of her brain, was an abstract, colorful, and detailed collage of images that made up her as a person. In the middle was an off-white wedding dress shaped like a guitar, symbolizing her parents' love for each other. Surrounding were some marks of her Chinese heritage, paying tribute to Cece. There was a pair of sneakers, similar to the one Buffy wore when she ran track. Scattered around the image were baby taters to symbolize the connection to her friends. The border around this make-shift brain was a representation of the bracelet that Andi had first given Jonah. Around the frame of Andi's head, she painted a representation of a color spectrum. She didn't need to explain it to anybody; they all got it.

"It's beautiful," Bex said on the verge of tears.

"You are truly gifted," remarked Bowie.

"Thanks," Andi blushed.

They looked over at Cece, who was on the verge of tears. "I'm not crying, you're crying!" Cece said to all of them.

"You've been very emotional lately, Mom," Bex poked, recalling the previous night.

Of course, this snapped Cece out of her tears. "Watch it!" she said warningly to Bex.

"What else do you guys want to see?" Andi asked. "I can show you around."

Bex and Bowie wanted to look at more of the art in the gallery, while Cece wanted a tour of the school. Andi began to give Cece a tour, while the other two wandered off on their own.

Andi showed her some more of the murals that had been painted on the walls. She showed Cece some of the art that had been awarded prizes in previous galleries that the school decided to keep up. Cece was amazed at the trophy cases full of artwork.

Once finished with the tour, they went back to the main gallery area which was more crowded than before because they were well into the show.

"I feel overdressed," Cece said with somewhat of a frown.

"I told you!" Andi laughed. "What do you want to do next?"

"I think we should enjoy the gallery," Cece responded.

"Alright, sure!"

They took their time looking around and admiring the different types of art and different perspectives that were displayed.

"You know," Cece started, "I'm glad that I got to have this day with my granddaughter so that we could bond."

"Me too," Andi agreed, and then paused. "Wait. Did you just call me your granddaughter?"

"Well, you are," Cece said, seeming curious as to why Andi was surprised by this.

"Well yeah, but you've never really wanted to acknowledge that."

"Well," Cece started, "I've learned that you can't change what is. And everything being the way it is is all probably for good reason."

Andi gave a soft smile. "I love you, Cece."

"I love you, too, and don't you forget it," Cece responded. She then switched gears entirely. "You know who I need to speak with?"

"Who?" Andi asked, intrigued.

"I need to speak with your friends in Cyrus and TJ."

Andi was suddenly taken aback by the strange request. She was hesitant because she knew how Cece had felt about her friends being in a same-sex relationship. She just didn't want to deal with Cece's homophobia at this moment.

"Can you get them to come over and talk with me?" Cece asked.

"Why?" Andi asked apprehensively. "You've bothered them enough about-"

"Andi," Cece interrupted, stunning Andi into silence. "I owe them an apology."

Andi did not expect that. "You do? I mean, yes, you do. But where is this coming from?"

"Let's just say that little moments sometimes get you to come around when you don't expect them."

Andi smiled a smile that she didn't expect. "Yeah, I'll make sure you can talk to them soon."

The art show wrapped up, and it was a pleasant day for the whole family.

Later that day, when Andi estimated that Buffy's basketball game would be over, she texted Cyrus and invited him and TJ over the next day. She thought that that was a better option than saying that Cece needed to talk to them; she knew that if she said that, Cyrus wouldn't want anything to do with it. Instead, she planned on inviting them over to Bex and Bowie's place with Cece there. She told Cece about the plan, and while Cece was a bit upset that she had caused that much damage, she understood.

On Monday, Cyrus and TJ showed up to Andi's place after school.

"Where is everyone else?" Cyrus asked. "Are Buffy and Jonah coming over later?"

"Actually, they're not coming at all," Andi said cautiously.

"What do you mean?" Cyrus asked, puzzled.

Cece emerged from the kitchen, surprising TJ and Cyrus.

"What's going on?" TJ asked, confused.

"I wanted to speak with the two of you," Cece already began her apologetic tone.

"Okay?" said Cyrus with apprehension, while he and TJ took a seat.

"I…" Cece was never great at apologizing. It was sometimes hard for her to swallow her own pride, and she knew that. In this situation, she also just had a hard time coming up with the right words to say that she knew would be enough. "I'm sorry," she finally said after long hesitation caused the other three in the room to exchange anticipatory looks.

TJ and Cyrus did not expect the apology, so they were caught off guard quite a bit. "For what?" Cyrus said, not quite knowing what she was apologizing for, even though he knew what she needed to apologize for.

"For everything," Cece said as she sat down across from the two. "I haven't treated you two and your relationship with the respect it deserves. I know that you're just two people who have more than platonic feelings for each other who just want to be able to live. So even though I may not fully understand it, I accept it."

TJ and Cyrus once again exchanged looks at each other, but this time, it was a more positive exchange. "Actually, by the way you just described it, I think you understand it pretty well," Cyrus clarified. That's all there was to it. They were two people who had strong feelings for each other and wanted to explore that without anyone getting in their way.

"Well, I hope you can accept my apology."

Cyrus glanced at TJ, then at Andi, and then Andi and TJ shared a look. They were all looks of encouragement that confirmed what they were all thinking.

"We accept," TJ said with a smile.

"And thank you for taking the time to say that to us," Cyrus added. "It means a lot."

"Yeah, well, it's worth it for a young love like yours," Cece chuckled, as Cyrus and TJ both blushed at the mention of the word 'love'. "Anyway," she switched gears, "I wanted to make it up to you by doing more than just saying sorry. So, I got coupons for a spa day! I was thinking I could go with you boys, and we'll have a great time!"

The feeling in the room shifted back to one of discomfort. Andi had started to smile at the exchange until she heard that. She cringed and looked over at Cyrus, and sure enough, he looked back at her with an unsettled expression. Cyrus and TJ shared a similar glance. The ever present thought in their head was that just because they were gay didn't mean they wanted to go to the spa or were super into more traditionally feminine things. They were made a little uncomfortable by Cece's assumptions about their interests.

TJ started, "That's very nice, but just because-"

Before he could finish, he was nudged by Cyrus, who also gave him a half smile. He changed the course of his words.

"We'd love to have a spa day with you, Mrs. Mack," he said with a smile.

TJ knew what that nudge meant. It was a "one-step-at-a-time" nudge. Cece had just come around to their relationship. They figured that as long as she was trying to be warm to them, they met as well let her. She was just trying to be kind. Debunking the stereotype was a conversation for another time. Besides, they had never been to the spa. They didn't know if they would like it or not.

Cece jumped for joy when she heard them accept her offer, which is how they knew that she was being genuine. "Great! Let's plan for it now!"

Although they didn't anticipate Cece's eagerness, they were happy to humor her. They planned for a spa day that upcoming Saturday.

When Saturday came, TJ and Cyrus met with each other before meeting Cece at the spa.

"Are we really doing this?" Cyrus asked TJ with a laugh.

"You convinced me it was a good idea," TJ said sarcastically.

Cyrus just rolled his eyes, playfully punched TJ, and went in.

"Ow, hey, you won't at least wait for your boyfriend?" he joked as he chased after Cyrus.

They met Cece at the spa, and the thing they least expected happened – they had a great time. Cece set up all of their activities, and both boys were perfectly fine with admitting that it was the best day that they'd had in a while. It was nice to be able to get away from everything and have all their worries melt away.

Cece had planned to end their spa day by unwinding in the Jacuzzi. "You both brought your swimsuits, right?"

"Yep!" A little while in a Jacuzzi sounded great to TJ.

"I did," Cyrus said nervously, "but I don't know if I'm really feeling the Jacuzzi right now. You guys can go on ahead without me."

"Are you sure?" Cece asked.

Cyrus nodded.

"Alright then, your loss."

"It would be really great if you could join us," TJ said to Cyrus after Cece had gone to put on her swimsuit.

"I know, but…" Cyrus trailed off. He had a hard time coming up with an excuse.

TJ reached into his bag and pulled out an old swim shirt, handed it to Cyrus, and gave Cyrus a smug look. He knew his boyfriend. As soon as Cece mentioned swimsuits, TJ knew that Cyrus wouldn't feel comfortable taking off his shirt in public. He was self-conscious. The other areas of the spa were private and the three gave each other privacy while they put on their robes. There was no way that TJ would let that get in the way of Cyrus's good time.

Cyrus smiled because of how well his boyfriend knew him. It was little things like that that made him and TJ such a great pair. They paid attention to detail.

"Go put on your swimsuit, and this shirt, and join us in the Jacuzzi. Deal?" TJ said softly.

"Deal," Cyrus said with a blush and laughter, playfully snatching the shirt out of TJ's hands. "Are you going to put on your swimsuit?" he asked when he noticed that TJ didn't follow him to the changing area.

"Already wearing it," TJ said, gesturing to the shorts he had been wearing all day.

Cyrus went to change into his swimsuit and swim shirt, and then came back.

"You look cute," TJ teased.

"Shut up," Cyrus laughed playfully.

When Cece came back, they got ready to go into the Jacuzzi. Cyrus was hopeful that no one could see how red his cheeks turned when he saw TJ take his shirt off.

When they sat in the Jacuzzi, they were all quiet for the most part, and felt great.

"Gender stereotypes be damned," TJ said at one point, "this is relaxing."

"Watch your language," Cece said calmly and nonchalantly as she closed her eyes and rested her head back.

TJ and Cyrus just looked at each other and laughed. They had a great time, and they connected with each other that day more than they expected they would. They would later thank Cece for the experience.

On Cyrus's way home, all he could think about was how happy he had been that day and how the simple gesture of TJ bringing him a pool shirt had made him feel so appreciated and cared for.

Cyrus walked through his front door feeling happy as could be. Without warning, he heard the voice of his angry dad from the other room, "Don't take one more step! We need to talk!"

Cyrus wondered what in the world it could be. He hadn't done anything! How could he be in trouble? A scared Cyrus awaited his father's potential wrath that he had not seen before.

His dad came in from around the corner, looking rather frustrated and flustered.

"What's wrong?" Cyrus asked, concerned.

"We need to talk about you and TJ."

_**Chapter 19 Coming Soon!**_


	19. Chapter 19

**AN: I do not own anything recognizable.**

**Chapter 19**

Cyrus stood petrified, not at all having anticipated his father's words.

"We need to set boundaries," his dad said firmly.

"What?" Cyrus asked, perplexed.

"We saw you at the spa with TJ today!"

"So?" Cyrus asked. "Wait," he shifted, "why were you at the spa?"

"That's not important!" Norman made sure his son couldn't change the topic. "You two were in public together, and that's a problem!"

"Hold on, you're upset because TJ and I were in public-"

"At the movies! At the spa! You're going to expose yourselves. So that you don't do that, we need to set boundaries."

"What? No! I can't deal with this right now! This is ridiculous!" Without listening to anything his dad had to say, Cyrus ran up the stairs to his room, not wanting any part of whatever his parents' problem was with him and TJ.

"Cyrus!" Norman called after him, but it was too late. He sighed in defeat.

In his room, Cyrus texted TJ.

_We can't hang out in public anymore._

_Where is this coming from? _TJ texted back.

_My parents_.

_I thought we were past that!_

_So did I_. Cyrus left the conversation at that.

On the other end, TJ felt rather upset about the situation. He had just had a great day with Cyrus at the spa, and now Cyrus said that they couldn't hang out in public. Cyrus had been afraid to come out to his parents before, and that already hurt the couple's ability to spend time together. It got them into a huge fight, but TJ thought it had been resolved. Cyrus came out to his parents, Cece came around, and it was all good. Apparently, that wasn't the case. TJ, having not been told about other things that Cyrus's parents had said since Cyrus came out, was utterly perplexed by the situation at hand. He had no idea what to think or what to do. Once again, his boyfriend's parents were getting in the way of their relationship.

Meanwhile, Cyrus also had no idea what to think about his predicament. When he came out to his parents, they were nothing but supportive. Why did they all of a sudden have such a big problem with Cyrus's relationship with TJ?

On Monday morning, Cyrus decided that the best course of action was to talk to TJ at school about the situation. He realized that he hadn't told TJ anything about what his parents said, and he was very brief in saying that they just couldn't hang out.

"So now they're just suddenly not supportive?" TJ asked, as the couple ate their lunch together.

Cyrus responded with silence and a defeated shrug.

"That's so unfair!" TJ began to get mad.

"I know," Cyrus didn't even get livid about the issue. He was just dejected. TJ saw this, and decided not to get any more heated.

"So what now?" he asked.

"We can still hang out at school," Cyrus said, "because my parents aren't here. We just have to make sure they can't see our relationship or know anything about it."

"Are you okay?" TJ asked.

"I don't know."

"What's wrong," Buffy asked while sitting down with Marty at the lunch table, having overheard the last part of TJ's and Cyrus's conversation.

"Cece took me and TJ to the spa, and my dad got mad because he saw me and TJ there together," Cyrus explained.

"What?" Buffy asked, surprised.

"I thought your parents were okay with your relationship," Marty said in disbelief.

"So did I," said a defeated Cyrus.

"So what are you going to do now?" Buffy asked.

"I don't know," Cyrus responded.

"I guess we can't hang out anywhere Cyrus's parents might see us," TJ elaborated.

"Buffy, what do I say to them?" Cyrus asked.

"I'm not sure what to tell you on this one," Buffy wished she could give an answer. "But you know that you guys can always be completely yourselves around us, right?"

"You can," Marty assured him, "I'm in on this, too. We'll always be here for you."

Cyrus felt some temporary relief, and he thanked his friends for the support.

To break the tension a little, and because she was intrigued, Buffy said, "Now I do have a few questions about that spa day. _Cece _took you?"

They all laughed, and TJ and Cyrus, in tandem, explained what had happened with Cece.

The rest of lunch that day was lighthearted and fun-spirited, but that didn't last into the coming weeks. TJ and Cyrus never hung out outside of school. Cyrus was so paranoid that because his parents somehow found out they were at the spa together that they could run into them anywhere. He worried that any time he left to hang out with TJ, his parents would ask him questions he wouldn't know how to answer because he wasn't good at lying. School was the only place that they felt safe away from Cyrus's parents, but even then, they worried that someone might rat them out. It was always tense with their friends at school because they constantly feared what might happen if Cyrus's parents found out they were still hanging out.

This was all made even worse by the fact that Cyrus and TJ felt like they couldn't even hang out with their friends together outside of school. They saw any place they could have gone as somewhere they might get caught. Even though Cyrus knew Andi, Buffy, and Jonah before TJ did, he wouldn't go over to hang out with them when TJ didn't go. They had kind of become a package deal. It wore on their friends, especially Andi, who didn't even get to see Cyrus in school. Buffy had explained the situation to Andi, and Andi understood, but she was still frustrated.

After about three weeks had passed, there was a day that Cyrus walked into the kitchen to get a snack, only to find his parents sitting, drinking coffee, and talking.

"We haven't seen TJ in a while," said Cyrus's dad.

"Yeah, how have you two been doing?" Sharon chimed in.

Cyrus was confused, as they seemed nice. Either way, he didn't want to fight that battle with his parents at that point.

"We broke up," he lied.

"What?" Sharon exclaimed. "What happened?"

"Is everything okay?" his dad said out of concern.

His parents' seemingly fake concern annoyed Cyrus enough to make him forget about his desire to avoid the conflict.

"What do you care?" he said with a look of disgust and anger.

"What are you talking about?" asked Norman. "Of course we care!"

"Really? Because one moment you say you accept me for who I am, and the next, you're telling me that I can't even be seen with my boyfriend. I don't get it!"

His parents responded with blank, confused stares.

Cyrus continued to lie, "Are you happy now? You've got your way, and TJ and I are apart!"

"What? No!" Sharon said.

"Cyrus," Norman chimed in, "the reason we didn't want you to be in public with TJ wasn't because we aren't accepting."

"It's because we were worried!" Sharon clarified.

Cyrus's expression dropped, and he let his guard down a little. He was a little confused, and didn't know what to say.

Before he could say anything, his dad said calmly, "Cyrus, we support and accept you one hundred percent for who you are."

"But there are a lot of people who might not," Sharon dovetailed off of her husband's comment.

"We just don't want to see you get hurt."

At that last point his dad made, Cyrus took a deep breath. He was still angry. He wasn't thrilled that his parents had taken away so much time he could have spent with his boyfriend. But he did understand. He realized that his parents were afraid of the same thing that he was afraid of before he came out. They were all afraid that he would get hurt and that he wouldn't be safe if who he was was exposed to the public.

"We didn't break up," Cyrus said with his eyes closed, trying to calm himself down, "I just said that because I thought you didn't support us."

"Of course we support you, honey," Sharon said.

"Don't you ever get the idea in your head that we don't," Norman added.

"But I have to be able to live my life," Cyrus continued as if to suggested that he wasn't done standing up to his parents yet. "My boyfriend is my boyfriend, and it hurts when you take that away by telling us we can't even be seen together."

Norman and Sharon just looked at each other in empathy for their son.

"I've thought about all that stuff, too," Cyrus said, now on the verge of tears. "Sometimes I am afraid of getting hurt. Sometimes I take that extra caution so that we don't expose ourselves and put ourselves in danger. But sometimes, I just tell myself that I have to live life the way I want to live it, and I'm not going to let anyone else take that away."

They all paused, making sure Cyrus was done, and reflecting on what he said.

After a long pause, Norman conceded, "You're right. We shouldn't try to take that away from you."

"We won't set artificial boundaries about who can and can't see you with TJ. That isn't right for us to do," Sharon added.

"Just please try to be careful. We love you, and don't want to see you hurt," Norman finished.

"I know. I will," Cyrus assured them.

"I'm proud of you for being able to stand up for yourself, too," Norman added, "that takes courage and guts to be able to do that."

The person most proud of Cyrus for standing up for himself was Cyrus. He had always been afraid of virtually everything and every judgement that might be made about him. He finally got to the point where he realized that he would always be Cyrus, and no one else. That was the best thing that he could ever be.

Later that day, Cyrus called TJ and told him what had happened with his parents. At this point, their school district had just started their holiday break, so they wouldn't get to see each other at school. They arranged a time to meet with each other. TJ's family was celebrated Christmas, and Cyrus's family celebrated Hanukah, so they arranged for a time after the holidays.

After the holidays passed, Cyrus and TJ met at The Spoon. It was kind of unusual that just the two of them would meet at The Spoon; usually, their other friends were there, too. When it was just the two of them, they liked to meet in the park, but it was too cold at that point to stay outside for too long.

They were both relieved about the situation with Cyrus's parents, and they acted as if nothing had happened. That is, until TJ said something that Cyrus didn't anticipate at all.

"I'm glad you and your parents worked things out. I'm looking forward to dinner with them on Saturday."

Cyrus was so shocked that he spit out his chocolate milkshake and some of it hit TJ.

"I am _so_ sorry!" Cyrus apologized. "What dinner? What's happening?"

"Wait, your parents didn't tell you they invited me to eat dinner with you guys?"

"Obviously not!"

"I was in the grocery store with my dad," TJ started to explain, "he had me go get something from another aisle, and I ran into your dad and your step-mom. They told me that they were sorry about what had happened. We talked a little bit, and they seemed really nice. Then they invited me over for dinner Saturday."

"That's great," Cyrus said with a sort of phony enthusiasm. It wasn't that he didn't want his parents to get along with TJ, but he just wasn't sure he was ready for the level of embarrassment that came with it. Whenever TJ brought it up, Cyrus just did his best to pretend to be excited about it too.

On Friday afternoon, the day before dinner with TJ, Cyrus, and Cyrus's parents, Cyrus sought help from Andi.

"Okay," said Bex as she, Bowie, Andi, and Cyrus gathered in the Macks' apartment, "it's very important that you are both kind to each other. Andi, could you pretend to be TJ?"

"Sure!" Andi agreed.

"I don't like where this is going," Cyrus said nervously.

"It's fine," Bex brushed off his concern, "Now, Cyrus, compliment 'TJ'."

"Okay, umm," Cyrus started, "you're looking nice tonight."

"Was that a question?" Bex asked with a tone of humorous mockery. "Say it like you actually mean it."

Cyrus raised his eyebrows, but did as he was told. "You're looking very nice tonight, TJ. That suit looks good on you," he said with a smile.

"He's going to wear a suit?" Andi laughed.

"I don't know," Cyrus said out of mild frustration that turned to apprehension, "Should he?"

"I think he could probably get away with a polo shirt and khakis," laughed Bowie.

"Right, because when my mom first met you, she thought you were delightful!" Bex teased sarcastically. "But you are right. He doesn't need to overdo it."

"What's happening?" Cyrus whispered to Andi, afraid of where their help would take him next.

"Just go with it," she whispered back with a smug grin on her face, as if she knew something was up.

"Now let's talk about table manners-"

"Hold up," Cyrus interrupted Bex, "remember, _he's_ meeting _my_ parents, not the other way around."

"Hmm," Bex considered and turned to Bowie, "he's right. We need to re-evaluate our approach." After thinking for a minute, she said, "Aha! I've got it! To the kitchen!"

The four of them headed into the kitchen, and they sat down at the table.

"Alright, we'll still do the same role play," Bex said, "Cyrus, you'll be yourself. Andi, you'll be TJ, and Bowie and I will be Cyrus's parents!"

"I really just want to know how to avoid total embarrassment," Cyrus clarified.

"And we're about to show you," Bex said with a smirk that made Cyrus a little uncomfortable. Shifting her tone of voice, she turned to Bowie, "Remember that time when Cyrus would dance all around the house to songs that he liked. He was three years old, and he would run around singing 'Elmo's Song' with nothing but his underwear on. Oh what it was like to have such an eccentric child!" Of course, Bex's tone when imitating Cyrus's step-mother had to be highly exaggerated and overdramatic.

"Don't you think that's a little much?" Cyrus laughed.

"Hey, anything can happen," Bex cautioned.

"She's right," Bowie chimed in. "You never know what weird thing your parents will do. When I met Bex's parents, they told me _a lot _of things Bex probably didn't want me to know."

"Okay, moving on," Bex said abruptly.

"So what exactly is this teaching me?" Cyrus asked, not seeing how what they were doing was helping.

"You have to find a way to brush off those embarrassing stories," Bex answered, "you know, come up with something to say that either throws off the topic, or just own it and be confident."

"I'm not really sure what to say to that," Cyrus said.

"How about something like 'yeah, but I had the best singing voice back then'?" Bowie suggested.

"Ooh, that's good!" Andi said.

"Don't be afraid to laugh at yourself!" Bex chimed in.

The same sort of thing went on for about two hours, as Bex and Bowie came up with all sorts of scenarios. Ultimately, Cyrus ended up leaving feeling even more nervous about the next night. Even though he wasn't meeting TJ's parents, he just wanted everything to go well. He wanted his parents to like TJ, but he realized that he had no control over that.

The next night, Cyrus heard a ring at the doorbell. He was dressed in a button down shirt and khakis, and his parents were in their regular work clothes. "I'll get it!" he yelled to his parents, who were cooking dinner in the kitchen.

Cyrus opened the door to TJ, who was, in fact, wearing a suit. It was the suit they wore on their first date. He was glad that his parents weren't there at the door with him because he got so lost in his admiration of how TJ looked in his suit that he forgot to say hello.

After TJ stood there for almost a full 30 seconds being admired by his boyfriend, be broke the silence and laughed, "Can I come in?"

That was enough to snap Cyrus out of his daze. "Oh, yeah, of course."

TJ gave Cyrus a small kiss as he walked in the door. The two of them then walked into the kitchen.

"Hi Mr. and Mrs. Goodman," TJ caught their attention as he walked in.

"Well hello! You're looking very nice this evening," Norman complimented TJ.

"Thank you, sir," TJ said with sincerity.

"And you can just call me Sharon," she corrected.

"What's for dinner?" TJ asked kindly.

"Marinated chicken and rice," Norman replied.

"It smells delicious."

"Why thank you very much!" Sharon said. "I used my mom's marinade recipe."

"I can't wait to taste it," TJ said. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"You two boys can relax and go take a seat in the living room. We've got this for now," Sharon responded.

"Alright, just let me know," TJ offered.

"That's very kind of you," said Norman. After the two boys left the room, he turned to Sharon and said, "I like him."

"Me too."

In the other room, TJ and Cyrus waited for dinner to be ready.

"How am I doing?" asked TJ somewhat nervously.

"Just be yourself," Cyrus said, "you don't have to try too hard."

"I am being myself," TJ said. "I always want to help."

Cyrus smiled and said sweetly, "Then you're doing perfectly."

The rest of the night also went perfectly. Norman and Sharon really did like TJ. They were glad that their son had found someone so sweet, kind, and caring. He complimented their food, always offered to help, and said so many wonderful things about Cyrus. Cyrus's parents didn't really tell any embarrassing stories like Bex had warned. In fact, it was TJ who bordered on being the embarrassing one. TJ would tell Norman and Sharon things that Cyrus did that he just adored, and it made Cyrus blush every time.

By the end of the night, all was well, and Cyrus couldn't have been happier.


	20. Chapter 20

**AN: Please enjoy the final chapter of The Story of TJ and Cyrus!**

**I do not own anything recognizable.**

**Chapter 20**

A few days passed since TJ had dinner with Cyrus and his parents. They had been nothing but supportive since then, and they trusted Cyrus to set his own boundaries and be safe in whatever way he knew how. As any parent did with their child, however, Cyrus's parents had to have the patented "talk". Just because Cyrus knew most of this already through external sources as a result of being in high school didn't mean it wasn't super awkward to have to listen to his parents tell him about it.

Cyrus got a text from TJ.

_Hey, we haven't had a date in a while. My parents are going to be out tonight. Do you want to come over?_

_Sure! _Cyrus responded. He was glad to finally be able to get some alone time with his boyfriend. Since before they went to the spa with Cece, they didn't get much. They always only hung out in school, but then when the streak ended, it was dinner with Cyrus's parents. Cyrus loved the idea of having TJ all to himself for one night.

_Great! _TJ replied. _Come over at 6. The door will be open. Knock first, but you can just walk in._

TJ was also excited about their date. They hadn't been on an actual date in so long. Besides, it was about time that TJ let his boyfriend know how much he really cared about him.

That evening, Cyrus was all smiles as he walked to his boyfriend's house wearing his macadamia cologne. He felt incredibly lucky to have someone like TJ in his life and that he could just spontaneously spend some time along eith him.

Cyrus knocked on the door, and TJ yelled, "Come in!"

Cyrus entered, and faced something that he did not at all expect. It smelled great in the house. He walked into the kitchen where TJ stood wearing an apron that said "kiss the cook." The lights were dimmed, and the room was lit by a candle in the middle of the table that was next to a lasagna.

Cyrus stood, stunned. He didn't know what to say. All he knew was that he was a sucker for cheesy romance, and TJ had suddenly turned up with it when Cyrus least expected it.

"Shall we eat?" TJ allowed Cyrus to just admire the scene.

Cyrus just nodded with a look full of joy, surprise, and admiration.

TJ removed his apron, revealing a nice button down shirt and dress pants. Cyrus felt underdressed, and it began to show in his face.

"It's fine," TJ said, "I have sweats to change into later for when we watch a movie. I surprised you, so I didn't expect you to dress up."

TJ pulled Cyrus's chair out and gestured so that he could sit down. In the manner of courtesy that TJ was so fond of showing his boyfriend, he served Cyrus first before serving himself.

"Thank you," Cyrus spoke for the first time since arriving.

"You're welcome," TJ responded, "you take the first bite, and let me know what you think."

Cyrus took a bit of TJ's homemade from scratch lasagna. "It's delicious!" he said with joy, his mouth still half full of lasagna because he couldn't wait to compliment is boyfriend. "I didn't know you could cook!"

"Yep," TJ said. "And I love to. It's one of those things that you like to do, but it's more for yourself until the right person comes around to share it with them."

"Why haven't I experienced this before then?" Cyrus exclaimed with joy.

"Well, I'm sure this won't be the last time I cook for you."

"It better not be!"

Although it wasn't something he had ever thought about before, Cyrus realized that he wanted a man who could cook. It wasn't one of his own personal strong suits, so it made his boyfriend even more attractive that he had that ability.

The two of them sat and ate for a little while. Neither of them ate a whole lot of food, but they didn't rush what they did eat. They had as much time together that night as they wanted, so they sat at the table across from each other and enjoyed each other's company. The conversed quite a bit about so many different things that had happened in their lives. They also talked about small things like their favorite books and what games they liked to play. They knew a lot about each other already, but there were still some things they didn't know. They never wanted to reveal everything at once, because they believed that they would always want to learn more about each other. There were some silences, but they weren't awkward or uncomfortable silences; they were beautiful silences. When they ran out of things to talk about, they simply sat there, admired each other, and enjoyed each other's company – as well as TJ's lasagna.

After they finished their dinner, TJ had another surprise for Cyrus. He pulled a tray of home-baked chocolate chocolate chip muffins out of the oven.

"You _bake_, too?" Cyrus exclaimed.

"Yep!" TJ responded with glee.

They enjoyed their muffins together, and continued to have a great time with each other.

After they were done with their dessert, TJ disappeared for a few minutes as he changed into sweatpants and a sweatshirt to match Cyrus's casual style. To Cyrus, as good as TJ looked in a suit, TJ had never looked cuter than in sweats.

They sat on TJ's couch and watched "Love, Simon." TJ picked the movie because they figured it was one to which they could both relate, and he liked the overall story arc.

The couple cuddled up to each other during the movie. Cyrus was happy to be in TJ's arms the entire time. There was a physical and emotional warmth that came from TJ that Cyrus just couldn't describe. Even when the movie ended, they laid there like that for about half an hour, both awake, not having to say a word. They just wanted to be there with each other in the moment and not let each other go.

As TJ felt himself drifting off, he reminded himself of what he wanted to do before the night ended. It's not as though he had forgotten; he just needed to make sure it happened before he fell asleep.

As he worked up the courage, he started to speak, "Cyrus," his voice indicated how tired he was.

Cyrus looked up at TJ, anticipating his next words.

More sure of himself than he had ever been about anything else in his entire life, TJ looked Cyrus straight in the eye and said, "I love you."

"I love you too," Cyrus didn't even have to question it. He knew that he loved TJ. He just didn't say it first because he never felt that he had to. He believed all of his actions would show it. He knew TJ loved him because of all of the small things TJ did for him, even when he didn't have to. Still, Cyrus was glad that TJ said that and that he said it back.

Those were the last two words either of them spoke to each other that night. Cyrus, for the first time, was finally at peace with himself, his world, and the people in his life. TJ, for once, could not have been happier with everything he had going for him.

The couple laid there for about twenty more minutes in the same cuddling position before falling asleep.

The whole group of friends met again to celebrate the New Year. The new Good Hair Crew in its entirety met at Cece's house since Bex and Bowie could no longer accommodate them with their small living room.

What a year it had been. All three of the original Good Hair Crew found boyfriends. Cyrus was with TJ, a relationship that took so long and so much to build up to what it was, but it was so worth the wait. Buffy was still together with Marty, and the two of them couldn't have been happier. Andi found Jack, and that was the newest relationship. They were so kind to each other, and it may have been the most unlikely yet most perfect pairing. It wasn't just the Good Hair Crew that had big things going on in their relationships. Bex and Bowie got married earlier in the year! The level of excitement surrounding that was incredible. Jonah and Amber were both still single. It didn't matter, though. Jonah liked it that way, and Amber had learned to be happy without a boyfriend. She had so many great friends surrounding her that she figured it was better to focus on that than to wish for her fantasy dream boy.

Since there were already eleven of them, they decided they wouldn't throw a large party like they had done in the past. It would just be the group of friends hosted by Andi's parents and Cece. That was enough, and no one there could really ask for much more.

"FIVE!"

As they all began to count down to the New Year together, everyone reflected on the year they had had. It was a great year for their relationships with significant others and with each other.

"FOUR!"

They stood with each other as a group of friends from so many different backgrounds. They didn't celebrate the same holidays as each other, and they didn't even all celebrate New Year's at the same time. Cyrus's family celebrated it at a different time than Andi's family, who celebrated it at a separate time than others. Yet still, they all celebrated together, because they had formed a family of their own.

"THREE!"

Each one of them there was grateful for every other person in the room. No one could imagine what life would be like without anybody there. Even Jack, Andi's new boyfriend, had come into the mix and been welcomed by everyone. Andi wouldn't rather have anyone else there with her in that moment, and everyone else was excited that he was there, too.

"TWO!"

Everyone was excited about the long journeys they all had ahead of them. The kids were all young; they were kids. They had their whole lives ahead of them. Anything could happen, and they knew that. Cece may have had less time, but she was happy to have the time that she did. She also had hopes and aspirations about whatever her future may bring her. She was happy, and it was the first time in a long time she truly felt so. Bex and Bowie were excited to live the rest of their lives together, in sickness and in health. As unsure Bex had been about marriage in the past, she had no doubt in her mind anymore that she had made the absolute right decision for herself. All of the kids looked up to the adults in lieu of what they might one day have. They all had crazy different lives and figured that they would be okay with whatever life threw at them.

"ONE!"

All that mattered in this moment was right now. Bex and Bowie would share a New Year's kiss, as would Andi and Jack, Buffy and Marty, and Cyrus and TJ. Cece, Jonah, and Amber would toast their sparkling apple cider to a life of prosperity and self-fulfillment. All that mattered, in this moment, was each other. They all believed that there is no greater gift than being surrounded by the people you love.

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

_**The End**_


End file.
